Born to be Boxer: A Family Legacy

by Petty Officer 1st Class Kelsey Eades

31 October 2023
PACIFIC OCEAN — An 11-year-old boy is fated for a career in the Navy - following in the footsteps of his father. His determination and resiliency brought him around the globe and through three military branches as he climbed the ladder to reach lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. And it is fate that brought him to the same ship his father served aboard and the one that solidified his passion to serve at sea. Across the U.S., family legacies can look vastly different. For Lt. Cassidy Lewis, the family business includes service aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4).

Born and raised in San Diego, Lewis grew up trying on his father’s Navy uniforms—knowing he would one day wear the same uniform and experience life at sea like his father, Cmdr. Gerald Lewis, now retired. When he was 11 years old in 1999, Lewis received an invitation to join his father on a five-day tiger cruise aboard Boxer, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship commissioned four years earlier.

“From a young age, I knew I was going to be in the military and in the Navy,” said Lewis. “At that time, my first thought [about the tiger cruise] was ‘Finally it’s happening. I’m going to be going on a Navy ship.’ I knew that I was either going to do one of two things: I’m going to drive the ship, or I’m going to fly something off of it. Now, I’m driving the ship. I definitely see it as a boyhood dream come true.”

Twenty-four years after he first stepped onboard, Lewis is now assigned to the same ship that solidified his path in life and that his father once served on as the aviation maintenance limited duty officer.

“This was the last ship my father deployed on, so I am kind of picking up where he left off,” said Lewis. “I went to see if I could find his old stateroom and I found it instantly as if nothing had changed.”

His journey to reach the Navy is not the typical path that most Sailors would take. Growing up, Lewis admired the Marines as well. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2008 and served a total of 6 years. After leaving the Marine Corps, he earned a degree in history from San Diego State University in 2014 and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army four years later. After three years in the Army, fate brought him back to his roots. With his father serving as his commissioning officer, he joined the Navy in 2021 as a surface warfare officer (SWO) in training and finally accomplished his childhood dream.

“I ended up where I wanted to be in the Navy. I just took a unique way of getting there,” said Lewis. “When I look back at all of the things I said I wanted to do, at every point—Army, Navy, Marine Corps—it was where I was supposed to be at that time.”

Today, Lewis is working towards earning his SWO pin, which will signify him as a subject matter expert on Boxer operations with an understanding of the ship’s engineering plant, combat systems, weapons and navigation.

“A SWO is like a jack of all trades,” said Lewis. “You’re striving to be an expert; it’s hard, but it’s very rewarding.”

His journey has brought him full circle from visiting Boxer at the age of 11, to now serving as ship’s company aboard the very same ship. His father had been his inspiration into joining the military, and he credits his determination and will to accomplish his dream to his father.

“My father won’t take any credit for it, but he was a major influence to me,” said Lewis. “My father never pressed the military on me. I just pressed him for a long time. If my kids wanted to have a career in the military, I would have nothing but good things to say because it’s been what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Gerald Lewis shared that he is proud of his son.

“As a parent, there will always be special moments you remember about your family, but more so about your children,” said the senior Lewis. “My son Cass serving his first commissioned naval tour on board the same ship that I served my first commissioned tour on is ‘priceless’ to me. Even though I’m retired now, it makes my career feel even more rewarding.”

Gerald Lewis retired in 2015 after 32 and a half years of service, but his son now has the watch, onboard the same ship he served on more than two decades earlier.