Nigeria’s Oluwasola Oyeniran, 36, has earned the prestigious military excellence award (MEA) in the U.S. after graduating as the top sailor in the recruit training command.

According to a post by the Defence Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) on Thursday, Mr Oyeniran, an indigene of Ile-Ife in Osun State, stated that he didn’t plan to graduate top of his class; his goal was only to scale through his rigorous assessment and qualify for the next level.

“Honestly, it wasn’t in my wildest dreams. All I wanted was to do everything the right way, follow directions and not fail. Sometimes I still can’t quite believe it. I came here just hoping to pass, not to be the best,” he said.

The recruit who demonstrated resilience, teamwork skills, military expertise and devotion to duty during training received the military excellence award and a flag of commendation. 

Mr Oyeniran admitted there were times he didn’t think he could pull through and complete the training.

“I was very worried I would not pass. I had to overcome my fear and trust the instructors, to believe they would not let me fail. If other people could face that same fear and get through it, then I told myself I could too,” he said.

He also said he was the first in his family to serve in the military, a fact that encouraged him during his times of self-doubt.

“I wanted to challenge myself to have courage and to carry the pride of being the first in my family to serve. I also joined to show those coming behind me that they can achieve whatever they set their heart to,” the U.S.-Nigerian sailor added.

Mr Oyeniran thanked his wife and family for their support, which helped him complete the tedious training. He also thanked his recruit division commander, Bruce Thompson, who helped him overcome his mental struggles and pass his swimming drills.

“Chief Thompson helped me overcome the mental stress when I was struggling with the swim,” Mr Oyeniran said. “He kept me steady when I wanted to panic.”