Seaman Recruit Jamie Bantug, Division 045, graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award, Dec. 7.

Bantug, from San Diego, is following in the footsteps of her father, retired Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Francisco Bantug.

“Because of the Navy, my family was able to live a comfortable and stable life while my dad was enlisted for 20 years,” Jamie Bantug said. “The military lifestyle became an influence as to why I wanted to enlist.”

Bantug expressed a desire to build a Navy career, support her future family and pursue commissioning opportunities in the future.

Bantug, 26, earned a Bachelor of Science in public health from San Diego State University in 2017. She was employed as a credentialing coordinator at a health care recruiting company.

 Bantug is assigned the rating of information systems technician.

The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award is the top award presented to the No. 1 recruit of his or her graduating training group. The MEA is awarded to the recruit who 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. Bantug was awarded a flag letter of commendation.

“I am extremely grateful and humbled to be selected for the MEA,” Bantug said. “To me, this award is a clear representation of what discipline, hard work, and dedication can accomplish. Winning this award motivates me to continue to strive for excellence in all that I do, and to never give up on myself.”

Bantug credited her Recruit Division Commanders, Chief Machinist’s Mate John Lagansua, Aviation Electrician’s Mate Etoryia Anderson, and Hospital Corpsman Romnickjohn Sotto for their leadership and guidance.

“My recruit division commanders impacted my boot camp experience greatly by continuingly motivating me to never forget my purpose as to why I decided to join the Navy,” Bantug said. “To me, they are a clear representation of what hard work and dedication are, and because of this I strive to be just as amazing as they are.”

Bantug also cited her parents, Francisco and Erlinda Bantug, for providing motivation and support.

“They constantly support me in all that I do, and push me to take risks and never give up on myself and anything I set my mind to,” she said. “My parents taught me to always strive for something greater than myself as they did for my sisters and I. Migrating from the Philippines with my sisters, my parents have always motivated us to never give up on our goals, even if they seem too farfetched to attain. Their constant support has led me to excel here at boot camp along with anything I plan to achieve in the future.”

Bantug said she overcame being homesick during boot camp by staying focused.

“Focusing on the tasks at hand throughout the day, focusing on staying awake, preparing for various inspections, learning new material every day, along with studying for exams has been chaotic at times,” she said. “I had to often recalibrate my thoughts, and remember to take everything one day at a time, and to remind myself that everything we do here at RTC has a purpose that will pay out in the end. Focusing on my end goal became that motivation to get through all the chaos.”

After graduation, Bantug will attend the information systems technician “A” school at Pensacola, Florida. Information system technicians perform core and specialty functions of communications operations, message processing, network administration and security.

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 30,0000 recruits graduate annually from 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/.