The Lone Sailor memorial statue, formerly located at the entrance to the Camp Porter side of Recruit Training Command (RTC), recently was relocated to a more prominent location near Midway Ceremony Drill Hall.

Now situated on the southern edge of the Compass Rose facing north in the center of the Ceremonial Walkway, its new location not only offers recruits the chance to view it as they march by, but also provides a proud photo opportunity for graduating Sailors and their families following the weekly Pass-In-Review (graduation) ceremony.

“This was a collaborative effort between the commanding officer at Naval Station Great Lakes and RTC,” said Capt. Erik Thors, commanding officer, RTC. “It originally was in a good location for peace and quiet, but by moving it out here where most of the families walk following graduation, it is a great opportunity to see the Lone Sailor standing in front of the headquarters building with the American flag behind it.”

The statue was dedicated in November 1997, thanks to the fundraising efforts by the Navy League of the United States and was dedicated to Adm. Mike Boorda.

On that dedication day, Ronald K. Weeks, then Illinois State President, Navy League of the Unite States, spoke on behalf of the organization.

“On an early spring day in 1956, a young man from the Midwest arrived at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. He was 17 years old. Thirty-eight years later, the seaman recruit had become America’s 25th Chief of Naval Operations,” said Weeks. “Boorda was also, especially for enlisted Sailors, the most loved and respected officer in active service. He will live in the Navy’s memory for as long as our ships take to sea. Today, we dedicate this memorial not to Adm. Boorda, beloved leader that he was, rather to Seaman Recruit Boorda. History will record Adm. Boorda as one of the Navy’s great CNOs but here we honor his beginnings. He was an outstanding and dynamic young Sailor well before he was an admiral and CNO.”

The original Lone Sailor statue took command of his place at the Navy Memorial in Washington, DC, more than 30 years ago. It was casted at the Tallix Foundry in New York, which is owned by Richard Polich, a commissioned naval officer in the late 1950s.

Artifacts from eight U.S. Navy ships were melted into the bronze during the casting process. The statue includes various fragments from USS Constitution, USS Constellation, USS Maine, USS Biloxi, USS Hancock, USS Seawolf, USS Nautilus, and the steamer Hartford. These ships span the Navy’s history and will forever be a part of the Lone Sailor legacy.

The Lone Sailor statue was unveiled at the Navy Memorial’s dedication on Oct. 13, 1987.

As families and friends filed out of the drill hall following the July 3 graduation ceremony, many stopped by the statue to pose for photos while standing next to their brand new Sailors.

“I think the Lone Sailor is just perfect to represent what he (graduating Sailor) is entering into,” said Cmdr. Ronald Cappellini, following attendance at the graduation ceremony.

Cappellini then went on to state that Sailors entering into the 1 percent (referring to those who serve in the military) will go on to know what it means to be standing on the pier getting; ready to go to sea, to defend this country, to leave the known for the unknown, and come back to family and friends.

For SR Alyssa Busby, standing next to the statue was of great importance.

“It’s definitely a very prideful moment as well as getting to accomplish this evolution in my life that I didn’t think was possible at first,” said Busby. “Now that I’ve accomplished it, it’s on to the next mission, onto to “A” School, and onto the fleet and make my name known and hopefully become third class petty officer in six months.”

The Lake County Council is part of the National Navy League organization that provides the Sailor of the Quarter and the Sailor of the Year Awards for eight commands at NAVSTA, including RTC. This prestigious award is highly regarded by the commanders of these commands as an essential program providing both tangible evidence of his/her superior accomplishments and a source of inspiration.

Each quarter, the honoree is presented with an 8-inch copy of the Lone Sailor statue as are the Junior Sailor of the Quarter and the Blue Jacket of the Quarter. The yearly award is a fifteen-inch statue, and the organization assumes the considerable cost for all the statues. 

With the larger-than-life-sized statue now in a more visible location for graduation guests to stand alongside with their new Sailors, the words of former Secretary of Navy John H. Dalton during the 1997 dedication ceremony still ring true.

“It’s especially appropriate that we’re able to dedicate this Lone Sailor statue to this special place where all of our future Sailors are trained,” said Dalton. “The Lone Sailor represents every Sailor here today and will continue to do so as our Navy continues to require them to go in harm’s way.”

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/

Boot camp is approximately eight weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command

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