Kennedy: Soddy-Daisy's brothers in arms

Shown at the Chickamauga Battlefield are, from left, U.S. Marine Corps brothers Private First Class Chenaniah Lewis, Corporal Aaron Lewis and Sergeant Zachary Lewis.
Shown at the Chickamauga Battlefield are, from left, U.S. Marine Corps brothers Private First Class Chenaniah Lewis, Corporal Aaron Lewis and Sergeant Zachary Lewis.
photo Shown at the Chickamauga Battlefield are, from left, U.S. Marine Corps brothers Private First Class Chenaniah Lewis, Corporal Aaron Lewis and Sergeant Zachary Lewis.

There's no hiding the fact that the home of Stephen and Christine Lewis on Creek Hollow Road in Soddy-Daisy is a gathering spot for U.S. Marines.

The telltale signs are everywhere: the "My Sons are Marines" bumper sticker on the car; the oversized banner hung across the front porch welcoming a son just home from boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.; and the mantel lined with photographs of square-jawed young men in Marine dress blues.

The place is virtually bursting with Chattanooga-strong patriotism.

photo Mark Kennedy

Sometimes on holidays, the family room floor is filled with Marines in sleeping bags cashing in on the family's Southern hospitality.

The couple's three children - all sons - are all Marines of different stripes: Sgt. Zachary Lewis, 25; Cpl. Aaron Lewis, 23; and Pfc. Chenaniah Lewis, 18.

Zachary just finished active duty. Aaron is a reservist who hopes to one day go to flight school and Chenaniah, the baby, is just back from his basic training.

"They are not only biological brothers," says Christine Lewis, the boys' proud mother. "They are brothers in arms."

There are lots of brother pairs in the Marines, evidently, but having a three-brother set in the Corps is quite rare. In fact, it's a record for the local Marine recruiting office on Lee Highway, which was thrust into the news in July in the first part of Mohammed Youssef Abdulazeez's attack.

There is no regulation against all the siblings in a family being Marines, but they can't be assigned to the same area for fear they could all perish together in battle.

"We could all be deployed to Afghanistan," explains middle son Aaron, "but we couldn't all be in the same unit."

All three brothers attended Soddy-Daisy High School, and the fact that they all volunteered for military duty seems fitting, if not preordained. The family tree, on both sides, is filled with veterans from across the military branches.

While the Lewis's oldest son, Zachary, is the only brother to have been deployed - as part of an expeditionary force in the Middle East and beyond - the other two say they are eager to serve when called.

Although two years apart in age, Zachary and Aaron both attended boot camp in 2011.

"I couldn't let him [Zachary] be better than me," said Aaron, who had been in junior ROTC at Soddy-Daisy High.

Aaron is a member of Mike Battery, the Marine reserve artillery unit based near the Tennessee Riverpark on Amnicola Highway where four servicemen died and another was fatally wounded in the July 16 attack.

Aaron was scheduled to pick up some papers at the Amnicola Highway Reserve Center on the day of the shootings, but his civilian work as an airport mechanic in Athens, Tenn., kept him away.

Meanwhile, younger brother Chenaniah - friends call him 'Niah - was at Parris Island when he received a rare call from home assuring him that his big brother Aaron had not been involved in the shootings.

"My drill instructor wanted me to direct my anger at my targets during training," said Chenaniah, who hopes to become a member of the Marine Corps special forces unit.

Meanwhile, the parents of these young Americans are proud to see them in the uniform of their country. Setting fear aside, they honor their call to duty.

"These are my only three children," said Christine Lewis. "All three have taken the oath to defend the freedoms that are so taken for granted."

"A lot of people go through their daily lives and don't realize that we are still a country at war," said Stephen Lewis. "As we recently learned at the [Mike] battery, these dangers are real."

To suggest a human interest story contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.

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