GREAT LAKES (NNS) — Seaman Recruit Harry Zakarian, a native of Boston, graduated as the top Sailor from Recruit Training Command, Division 802, earning the Military Excellence Award on November 27.“Winning this award has set the bar high for me,” Zakarian said. “It is going to be what dictates the rest of my military career and how I hope to perform in any task. Now having this standard, it is how I hope to always present myself as a United States Sailor. Now that boot camp has ended, I plan to bring that standard with me to my next command.”
The Navy Club of the United States Military Excellence Award 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 him at the pinnacle of today’s newest Sailors. Zakarian is awarded a flag letter of commendation.
Zakarian, 23, is a 2015 graduate of Landmark High School in Beverly, Massachusetts. He was a two-time Eastern Independent League wrestling champion and the league’s 2015 defensive player of the year in lacrosse.
Zakarian graduated from the University of Denver in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science. He was employed as a hazardous materials technician for an environmental laboratory in Westborough, Massachusetts, and as an environmental specialist at a chemical and biological waste disposal company in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Zakarian said he joined the Navy to serve a larger purpose.
“Being involved in sports, I always enjoyed being part of that team dynamic and being held accountable for my actions,” Zakarian said. “The Navy was a perfect answer for my desire to work with others to protect the United States.”
Zakarian credited his Recruit Division Commanders, Chief Naval Aircrewman (Tactical Helicopter) Ryan Quinn, Operations Specialist 1st Class Andrew Bell, and Retail Services Specialist 2nd Class Carmen Zela, for their leadership and guidance.
“My motivation through boot camp came from my RDCs and Dive Motivation Instructor (Special Warfare Boat Operator 2nd Class Michael Neville). They showed me the way, day in and day out, with a constant example of what a United States Sailor should exemplify. The consistency of their actions and teachings gave me the focus and determination to work harder through each evolution and training exercise.”
Zakarian also acknowledged the contributions of his shipmates.
“Knowing that there were other individuals to the left and right of me going through each and every task, hardship, and success was a very powerful motivator and I felt I needed to perform my best to give back to them that motivation they gave me,” he said.
Zakarian said meeting the daily challenge and high standards were the toughest part of boot camp.
“There is a constant and demanding pace in which information is given to myself and the other recruits within my division,” he said. “I realized the importance of mental preparation and constant repetition. It became easy to work through each evolution and with every practice setting. I found my flaws and was able to correct them by the time of the assessment.”
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.
Zakarian chose to work towards becoming a Navy Special Warfare Boat Operator.
After graduation, Zakarian will begin his “A” School training at Special Warfare Preparatory School in Great Lakes, Ill. Special Warfare Boat Operators support and perform maritime special operations in the open ocean, littoral, and riverine environments. They provide maritime insertion and extraction of Special Operations Forces (SOF) and others. Special Warfare Boat Operators possess unique skills in the operation, maintenance, and repair of specially-configured combatant craft, and they operate small arms and crew-served weapons. They operate, maintain and repair tactical communications equipment, and use paradrop techniques to insert combatant craft.
For more news from Recruit Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/rtc/