Seaman Recruit Allison P. Bridge, Div. 929, graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award on May 24.

Bridge, from Dansville, New York, said she joined the Navy to set her future up for success while also becoming a part of something that is greater than herself.

“Nothing worth having comes easy. I wanted to push myself to do something that I, and my family, can be proud of,” said Bridge.

Bridge, 20, is a graduate Dansville High School in Dansville, New York. She is currently pursuing a bio-medical science degree from Cortland State University in Cortland, New York.

Bridge is assigned to the Hospital Corpsman Fleet Marine Force track (Seaman).

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 her at the pinnacle of today’s newest Sailors. Bridge is awarded a flag letter of commendation.

Bridge said she was honored and humbled having been selected for the MEA.

“Winning the MEA was never something that crossed my mind during training. I made a promise to give perfect effort every day and this just goes to show that if you give 110 percent in everything you do, it will pay off,” said Bridge.

Bridge credited her Recruit Division Commanders, Chief Electrician’s Mate Thanh Huynh; Operations Specialist 1st Class Sherese Garrison; and Engineman 1st Class Eric Castillo for their leadership and guidance.

“From the start, and especially in the beginning, my RDCs were my motivators and mentors day in and day out regardless of how rough they were on us,” said Bridge. “I know they are only trying to make us the best Sailors we can be. They sacrifice so much and I have the utmost amount of respect for them.”

She also gives credit to her shipmates for their support.

“I would never have been able to get through these past eight weeks if it hadn’t been for my incredible shipmates who believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself, and who held me accountable to the highest of standards — just as I did to them,” she said.

Lastly, Bridge states that she never would have made it this far if not for the outpouring of love and support from her family and friends.

Bridge said the biggest challenge of boot camp was accepting failure.

“The toughest part about boot camp was accepting that you will fail — it’s all part of the training and the experience,” said Bridge. “In order to make you into Sailors and build the division up as a team, they have to break you down first and accepting the inevitable failure each day was hard.”

Bridge also acknowledges that it was not the failure that mattered, but rather, how she chose to move past and grow from it.

After graduation, Bridge will attend Hospital Corpsman “A” School in Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, where she will learn basic principles and techniques of patient care and first-aid procedures.

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/.