181011-N-WB795-1018 GREAT LAKES, Ill. (Oct. 11, 2018) In accordance with tradition, Airman Recruit Tyler Overbey, the youngest Sailor at Recruit Training Command (RTC), and Capt. Eric Thors, RTC's commanding officer and oldest Sailor, participate in a cake-cutting ceremony commemorating the Navy's 243rd birthday on the USS Iowa quarterdeck, RTC’s headquarters building. The theme for the Navy's 243rd birthday is "Forged by the Sea." The theme represents the aspirational outcome of every Sailor's journey in uniform and conveys the notion that every Sailor is shaped and strengthened into a more capable version of themselves through Navy service. More than 30,000 recruits graduate annually from the Navy’s only boot camp. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Brandie Wills/Released)