Naval Education and Training Command’s (NETC) recognized its 2024 Military Instructors of the Year (MIOY) during a ceremony at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Feb. 20, 2025.

The 2024 MIOY awardees include:

Junior Enlisted: Hospital Corpsman 2^nd Class Alexander Craig, Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center, Panama City, Florida.

Mid-Grade Enlisted: Gunner’s Mate 1^st Class Johnelle Jones, Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois.

Senior Enlisted: Senior Chief Musician Josh Neumeyer, Naval School of Music, Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Officer: Lt. Katherine Bertschi, Mariner Skills Training Center Pacific, San Diego, California.

Naval ROTC: Capt. John Merten, USMC, NROTC Unit, The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina.

“We all know that our business is a team effort, and the accomplishments of our instructors of the year are a direct reflection of the teamwork and dedication to the mission at each of our commands – a critical investment in shaping and delivering the naval power America needs, from seabed to space,” said Capt. Gregory Tiner, NETC chief of staff.

The NETC MIOY award recognizes Navy and Marine Corps instructors who have displayed outstanding instructional and leadership performance and consistently exhibit strong managerial and leadership skills. Instructors serving throughout the MyNavy HR Force Development domain competed against nearly 6,500 top achievers for this prestigious distinction.

“Our instructors here today are an exclusive and elite group – the very best of the best, each playing a critical role in ensuring that when the Navy fights, we will fight and win decisively,” said Tiner. “In and out of the classroom, each personifies the meaning of personal excellence.”

MIOY awardee Gunner’s Mate 1^st Class Jones described the impact of Navy instructors in training future warfighters for service in the world’s most lethal Navy.

“The greatest reward of being a leading petty officer is having a direct impact on the lives of the Sailors that you work with,” said Jones. “They trust me to listen to them and if they have a question, they trust me to go and find them an answer. It is one thing to be responsible for your own career, but the real prize is when you mentor another Sailor.”

NETC recruits, trains and delivers those who serve our nation, taking them from “street to fleet,” by transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational, and combat-ready warfighters.

For more information about NETC, visit the command’s website at https://www.netc.navy.mil/ and follow the command’s social media: Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NETCHQ, Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/netc_hq and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/netchq/.