A sailor who once doubted his ability to succeed in the service graduated with a prestigious military award, according to the Navy.
Seaman Apprentice Jason Lorentz, 25, graduated as the top sailor from Recruit Training Command, earning the Military Excellence Award on Thursday, according to a Navy release. The award is “presented to the recruit that best exemplifies the qualities of enthusiasm, devotion to duty, military bearing, and teamwork,” according to the service.
For Lorentz, serving in the Navy fulfills a goal he’s had since he was a kid in Payson, Arizona, but achieving that goal was uncertain.
“I’ve wanted to be a Sailor for as long as I can remember,” Lorentz said. “While I was in high school, I took the ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery] so many times and came up short. I gave up my aspirations to serve for a few years until the Navy gave me a second chance to improve my test scores.”
Lorentz, who previously worked at the Arizona Department of Transportation, enrolled in the Future Sailor Prep Course, a three-week class that aims to boost recruits’ math and verbal skills necessary to increase their ASVAB score.
He’d taken the course once before but wasn’t able to make noticeable improvements. When he arrived at Recruit Training Command at Naval Station Great Lakes and enrolled in the prep course for a second time, Lorentz needed to improve his score by 10 points.
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Lorentz said he put “everything” into the course this time around and “tried to take advantage of the moment by working as hard as possible.”
He succeeded in improving his ASVAB score, allowing him to rerate from aviation boatswain’s mate to hospital corpsman.
From there, Lorentz was finally able to make it to basic training and punch his ticket toward becoming a sailor.
Despite his hard work, Lorentz was stunned when his name was called for the award, he said.
Lorentz especially credited the support pillars in his life — his family friends and fellow shipmates — for his achievement.
“I’m going to do my best to continue to honor them as I move forward in my career,” he said.
Lorentz also credited his recruit division commanders for their guidance through boot camp.
The most challenging aspect of the whole process though was the lifestyle change, according to Lorentz.
“Having someone tell you when to eat, when to sleep, when to workout, and when to speak was extremely difficult at first,” he said. “There were definitely some growing pains along the way, but I understand now that there is a purpose for everything you’re taught and told to do.”
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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