Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Fred Gray IV | 230530-N-TI693- BRAINERED, Minn. (May 30, 2023) - Future Sailor Cy Johnson, center,...... read more read more
BRAINERD, Minn. (Oct. 4, 2023) – Families of Americans often look through their family history and can usually point out one or two relatives that served in the U.S. military, passing down stories of their loved one’s service to future generations.
For the Johnson family, naval service is more than the stories that have been passed down through the generations, it has become something of a legacy in their family as Cy Johnson, native of Staples, Minn., becomes the fourth generation in his family to enlist in the U.S. Navy.
“Military, in general, I have always had that calling to it, just growing up around my dad and grandpa and other family members who were, and are still serving in the military,” said Cy.
During a family gathering, Cy’s father and grandfather expressed their full enthusiasm and support about Cy becoming the fourth generation Sailor, and shared their personal Navy journeys.
“I remember when Ben [Cy’s father] was in his early twenties and first had Cy, they were living with me and he wasn’t sure what he was going to do,” said Cy Porwall, Cy’s grandfather. “I remember thinking to myself how the Navy helped me straighten my life out, and that’s when I invited the Navy recruiter over to my house to talk with Ben.”
“I joined when I was 26 and I was still in a 16, 17-year-old mind set,” said Ben Johnson, Cy’s father. “Until Cy was born I didn’t take too much seriously.”
“When it came down to it, I wanted to do something with my life that would make Cy proud,” Ben added as he looks at his son with a noticeable sense of pride and adoration on his face.
Cy and Ben began to talk about how Ben would often take Cy into work with him when he was an active duty as a Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman.
“I always wanted to do what my dad did in the Navy,” Cy added after hearing the stories and recalling the memories about his father when he was young and serving in the Navy.
“A little joke I have with my family is that I’m going to do what my dad did, but do it better,” snickers Cy, currently in his Navy training school to become a Hospital Corpsman following in the footsteps of his father.
“Joining the military has been something that Cy has been talking about since he was 15 years old,” Ben added. “With the pay and benefits better now than when we joined [as Ben motions to Cy’s grandpa] we have always supported his decision.”
As Ben and Cy Porwall discuss their paths that ultimately led them to join the Navy, Kathy Porwall, Cy’s grandmother walked in with fresh brewed, coffee for everyone, with something to add.
“Cy has always been patriotic, even as a little kid,” said Kathy as she passes out fresh, black coffee to everyone. “As a little boy, no matter where we were or what we were doing, when Cy saw a man or woman in uniform he would always walk up to them and thank them and began to try to ask them questions about their job.”
As the conversations continued around the room, it eventually landed on the topic of Cy’s personal reasons for joining the Navy.
“Initially when I started looking into the military, I was leaning towards the Marines,” said Cy. “But the more I thought about my family history, and how I wanted to do what my dad did, I just thought it would be so cool to be the fourth generation to enter the Navy.”
In addition to following in his family’s footsteps, Cy had other reasons for making the decision on a career in the Navy.
“Eventually, I want to work on a golf course, I want to go to college and get my degree in turf management,” said Cy. “Just being super sound on finances and knowing I don’t have to pay for college, and having the option to even earn a degree while I am serving in the Navy, using the tuition assistance program, makes life less stressful.”
Cy also talked about his responses to people when they asked about his career plans, and how he would watch others getting stressed out about college and various career plans while he would simply respond, “I’m going in the Navy where I have at least five years of job security and checks coming in, and it will pay for my college.”
“I would like to make a career out of the Navy, but that’s looking so far ahead,” said Cy. “A career would be a dream right there. Being told that you can retire at 37 years old is like… okay, why not? It’s kind of a no-brainer at that point.”
As Cy continued to talk about his future plans and what he hopes to accomplish in the Navy it naturally developed into where he would like to be stationed and why.
“I would love to be stationed overseas, like in Italy or Greece,” said Cy. “Experiencing new places, people and cultures will be a bit of a shock coming from the small town of Staples, Minn.”
“I saw the same people at school every single day,” Cy added. “It will be nice to go somewhere where I have the chance to meet someone new. It’s something that I wanted and talked about ever since I was in middle school.”
Cy continued to list other reasons he is grateful on his decision to join the Navy, such as: free medical and dental insurance, being able to move around and see the world, and the possibility of retiring at 37 years old.
“It just feels amazing to continue the Navy legacy in my family.’ Cy said. “Seeing how much the Navy has changed the life of my family members that were in, just how successful they are and continue to be… it feels good, there’s a lot to live up too.”
Cy was the only student from his graduating class to enter the military on active duty.
“He was the only one in a class of 83 students to make the commitment to serve active duty in the Navy,” said Cy Porwall.
“It was heart-wrenching during the cords and awards ceremony at his graduation,” said Ben. “When he received his Navy sash there was a standing ovation from everyone in attendance.”
“I jumped right up and started cheering,” said Cy Porwall. “I was so proud of him!”
Cy left for basic training on June 22, 2023, and following his basic training went to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where he is continuing with his training to become a Hospital Corpsman in the U.S. Navy.
NTAG Northern Plains is responsible for the U.S. Navy’s enlisted and officer recruiting, covering 393,000 square miles in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and parts of Illinois, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
For more information on opportunities with the Navy, go to www.navy.com, or visit your local U.S. Navy recruiting office.
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| Date Taken: | 10.04.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 10.05.2023 15:10 |
| Story ID: | 455305 |
| Location: | BRAINERD, MN, US |
| Hometown: | STAPLES, MN, US |
| Web Views: | 199 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A Forged Legacy: Staples, MN, Native Enlists as 4th Generation Sailor, by PO1 Fred Gray IV, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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