Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) Vice Adm. John Nowell, visited Recruit Training Command (RTC) and served as the pass-in-review graduation ceremony reviewing officer, May 24.

Nowell presided over the ceremony at Midway Ceremonial Drill Hall where more than 1,400 guests came to see 359 recruits became Sailors.

“I pinned on my third star about 30 minutes ago and I am here because as my first act as CNP I wanted to look at these faces as we look at sending them into the Fleet,” said Nowell.

During the graduation ceremony, Nowell congratulated the Navy’s newest Sailors while reminding them of the commitment they have made.

 “You are more than a citizen now… truly today, you wear the cloth of the nation,” said Nowell.  “There is no shortage of hard work that remains to be done or the challenges that we’re going to hand to you.  We will ask things of you that will cause you to reach deep inside yourselves to answer the bell. But rest assured that you are ready to do that.”

Before ending his speech, Nowell imparted a final piece of advice.

“Take care of yourselves, and take care of your shipmates,” said Nowell.  “If you live by the motto ‘ship, shipmate, self, you can’t go wrong’.  So, Sailors of the United States Navy, Godspeed, fair winds, and following seas.”

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 35,0000 recruits graduate annually from RTC and begin their Navy careers.

For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit https://www.navy.mil/local/rtc/.

For more news from Chief of Naval Personnel, follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/usnpeople/, Twitter at https://twitter.com/usnpeople or visit https://www.navy.mil/cnp/index.asp.

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy facebook or twitter.

For more news from Chief of Naval Personnel, visit www.navy.mil/.