GREAT LAKES, Ill. - Seaman Recruit Lilly Prescott, a native of McCall, Idaho, graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, Division 243, earning the Military Excellence Award on Sept. 8.
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The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award (MEA) 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. Prescott is awarded a flag letter of commendation.
Prescott was honored to receive the MEA.
“The Military Excellence Award is validation that I made the right choice," said Prescott. "At the beginning of boot camp, it felt as if I had made a mistake in joining the Navy. I kept messing up small things and began to doubt myself however, this award shows me how capable I truly am.”
Prescott, a 2023 graduate of C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls, Montana, was a scholar-athlete award winner who participated in soccer, cross country, and track.
Prescott, 18, joined the Navy to pursue personal and professional goals.
“I joined the Navy because of the independence and benefits that it offers,” said Prescott. "I planned on going to college after graduating high school, but I decided that the military was the best option for me. It meant that I could get a reliable paycheck, while also working toward my goal of becoming a nurse. I chose the Navy because of my uncle, William Prescott, who was a (Force Reconnaissance) Marine. He told me great stories about the corpsman that he once worked with.”
Prescott credited her Recruit Division Commanders (RDCs), Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Reginald Carter, Aviation Structural Mechanic 1st Class Martin Mezamillan, and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Launching and Recovery Equipment) 1st Class CherryAne DeLeon for their leadership and guidance.
“I had a very good support system throughout boot camp, this included my family and RDCs,” said Prescott. "My family was always there to write letters to me or pick up the phone on every phone call. My mom and dad, Lacy and Patrick Prescott, always made sure I knew I was loved and supported. My RDCs made sure that we set a standard. Chief Carter didn’t except anything less. This was a big motivation to keep pushing, in hopes that we just might meet or beat their expectations. I truly had the best RDCs on base, and I guess in some ways I wanted to emulate them.”
Prescott said the toughest part of boot camp was improving her attention to detail.
“I had to learn to be a good listener, and to not just assume I knew what was going on 24/7,” said Prescott. “There were multiple times in the beginning that I made a mistake because I was moving too quickly, and not paying full attention to the instructions.”
Boot camp is approximately 10 weeks and all enlistees into the U.S. Navy begin their careers at the command. Training includes five warfighting competencies of firefighting, damage control, seamanship, watchstanding, and small arms handling and marksmanship along with physical fitness and lessons in Navy heritage and core values, Warrior Toughness, Life Skills, teamwork and discipline. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy’s only boot camp.
Prescott is assigned the rate of hospital corpsman.
After graduation, Prescott 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.
For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/rtc