Seaman Recruit Brady Hancock, Division 382, graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award on October 11.

Hancock, from Battle Creek, Michigan, said he joined the Navy to pursue career opportunities.

“I joined the Navy to open up new opportunities for my family and myself,” Hancock said. “I knew the Navy would offer opportunities for career advancement, travel and education. These opportunities are why I hope to make a career out of serving in the Navy.”

Hancock, 26, is a 2011 graduate of Harper Creek High School and attended Kellogg Community College, both in Battle Creek, Michigan. He was employed as a certified CrossFit instructor and as a warehouse manager for a packaging supply company in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Hancock is assigned the rate of Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive).

The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award is the top award presented to the No. 1 recruit of their graduating training group. The MEA is awarded to the recruit that best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing and teamwork. The award placed him at the pinnacle of today’s newest Sailors. Hancock is awarded a flag letter of commendation.

Hancock said winning the MEA came as a surprise.

“It makes me more confident (about) recognizing the importance of being excellent in even the smallest of details,” he said. “My philosophy throughout boot camp was to always do what needed to be done to the best of my ability and to help other recruits who were struggling, and it is an honor to be recognized for that.”

Hancock credited his Recruit Division Commanders, Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Dmitriy Kapkanov, Engineman 1st Class Francis Jobeless, and Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Sara Rochester for their leadership and guidance.

He said his biggest motivation came from his wife, Alayna Hancock.

“My wife encouraged me in my desire to join the Navy in the first place, and believed I would do well,” Hancock said. “She was sure to write me letters as often as she could, and these letters played a big part in keeping my focus on the end goal and not succumbing to the stress of everyday life at RTC.”

Hancock said the biggest challenge of boot camp was being away from family.

“I overcame this obstacle by continually bringing my focus back to what finishing boot camp would mean for my family and myself,” he said. “I knew that the separation was temporary and making it through RTC would be well worth the stress in the end. Writing my thoughts in the form of a journal or letters home helped to declutter my mental space and keep me moving forward and capable of handling the tasks at hand.”

Following graduation, Hancock will attend the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. Cryptologic Technicians (Interpretive) conduct information operations using foreign language skills and advanced computer systems. They collect, analyze and exploit foreign language communications signals of interest to identify, locate and monitor worldwide threats.

Boot camp is approximately eight weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms, firefighting and shipboard damage control along with lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. More than 35,000 recruits are trained annually at RTC and begin their Navy careers.

For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/

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For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/.