Courtesy Photo | Seaman Apprentice Nyre Mattocks graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training...... read more read more
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GREAT LAKES (NNS) – Seaman Apprentice Nyre Mattocks graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award (MEA) December 5, 2024.
Mattocks, from Oriental, North Carolina, said he enlisted for a variety of reasons, including the chance to obtain new life experiences.
“I felt like I needed a new challenge,” Mattocks said. “In my hometown, there’s not really a lot going on. When I saw all of the benefits available, I realized joining the Navy would be just what I needed. This opportunity will allow me to become financially stable and hopefully be able to provide for a family one day. I also like that the military teaches discipline and will set me up for the future in ways that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve back home.”
Mattocks, 20, graduated from Pamlico County High School, where he was a member of the cross country and basketball teams. After high school, he attended New Bern Community College before enlisting.
The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award is the top award presented to the recruit that best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing, and teamwork. The award places him at the pinnacle of today’s newest Sailors. Mattocks is awarded a flag letter of commendation as part of his recognition.
According to Mattocks, the award is the best possible first step to start his naval career.
“Winning an award never crossed my mind. I didn’t expect to win anything or be recognized. I just wanted to graduate and make my family proud. Being able to have success here proves that I’m capable of achieving more than I thought. I’m so motivated to move forward in my Navy career and accomplish some of my other goals.”
Prior to basic military training, Mattocks completed the Future Sailor Prep Course (Academic). This three-week course improves recruit performance before basic military training through building basic math and verbal skills with the goal of increasing ASVAB scores. Future Sailors who improve their scores are given the opportunity to reclassify into high-priority ratings and fill critical roles in the Navy.
“I really wanted to be an air traffic controller, but originally, I didn’t qualify. I found out about FSPC and decided to give it a shot,” Mattocks said. “I worked so hard to improve my score, and actually I had to take the course twice to qualify. When I eventually accomplished my goal, it was a huge relief. Being able to rerate and win this award has made this experience one of the best of my life.”
Mattocks’ RDCs (Recruit Division Commanders) are Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate (ADC) Latasha Lawrence, Chief Gunner’s Mate (GMC) Zachary Cline and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuels) 1st Class (ABF1) Angelica Lockwood, and they guided him through the 10-week process.
“Chief Cline would always say ‘practice like you play,’ and that was something that really hit home with me,” he said. “For every evolution, I did everything to 100 percent of my abilities. He had so much faith in us and showed us how much he cared that it made me always want to try to be better. He is the kind of RDC who takes pride in his work ethic and has that fire to never give up. I learned a lot just by watching him, and he is a person that I have tried to model myself after.”
Along with his RDCs, Mattocks found inspiration from his leadership at FSPC.
“Chief Mayo always gave the most amazing speeches that would inspire me when I needed it most. He taught me to never be afraid to get back up and try again. His support and the way he pushed all the recruits to fulfill our dreams really meant a lot to me personally. I owe a lot my success here to him.”
Mattocks said the biggest challenge he faced in boot camp was learning to deal with the mental stress of day-to-day life.
“Every day, I had to study and learn new things that were outside of my comfort zone,” said Mattocks. “Not wanting to mess up or disappoint my family put a huge weight on my shoulders. I had to learn that putting extra pressure on myself only made things worse. Passing FSPC gave me a lot of confidence, and as boot camp went along, I started to simplify things. Staying calm and not getting angry when I’d mess up allowed me to be the best version of myself.”
After graduation, Mattocks will attend Air Traffic Control “A” School in Pensacola, Florida, for training in fundamentals of air traffic control, radar, radio communications group instruction and simulators.
Training at RTC is approximately 10 weeks, and all enlistees in the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. More than 40,000 Recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp.
| Date Taken: | 12.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.05.2024 11:20 |
| Story ID: | 486699 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 1,728 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Mattocks Earns Military Excellence Award at Recruit Training Command, by Marc Lindsay, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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