The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTERS
Cornerstone Christian grads follow dad into Navy service
Disabled Navy veteran Vince Berry is no stranger to accolades and accomplishments, but now his two daughters are making waves of their own.
Geneive, 22, and Ariana, 21 are natives of Willoughby and alumni of Cornerstone Christian Academy. Both girls had stellar academic records while in high school and were successful in sports as well.
The sisters then decided to follow their father’s path into the Navy and have dedicated their lives to serving their country. They both have received numerous awards already for their military service, including graduating at the top percentiles of their classes and being celebrated among their peers.
“I’m so proud of them,” the elder Berry said. “I knew how hard it was. I knew my daughters were smart enough, but I didn’t know they would make it through boot camp.”
His daughters proved him wrong and Berry doesn’t seem to upset about it.
Geneive is an anti-submarine wartime specialist just like her father.
Ariana was awarded the Blue Jacket of the Quarter for her service at the
"I’m so proud of them. I knew how hard it was. I knew my daughters were smart enough, but I didn’t know they would make it through boot camp."
— Vince Berry
Training Support Center Hampton Roads in Virginia Beach, Va. The award goes to a junior sailor who exemplifies outstanding leadership and superior performance by going above and beyond their assigned job.
Ariana has served in the Navy for two years and is an information systems technician responsible for communications, processing messages, security, and network administration.
“When they made that move, very proud of them,” their father said, then laughingly added, “I have been through the Navy, I didn’t tell them about boot camp, so at their graduation, they had some choice words for me.
“The Navy is going to try and make you quit, that’s their job in boot camp. And if you don’t let them make you quit and you’re determined to be in the Navy and serve your country, you have to make them know it. They need you to step up.”
Both women refer to their father as inspiration for joining the Navy.
“My father served in the military, so I’ve always been influenced by him to be great and make a lifechanging decision that would better myself in the future,” Ariana said in an interview with the Navy Office of Community Outreach.
The Berry family includes a long line of servicemen and women stretching through generations. Vince Berry, a native of Cleveland’s St. Clair area, always knew he was destined to serve.
“I just knew I was, I even tried to go when I was 5,” Berry laughed.
He was among the early Black students that were bused from Glenville to Lincoln-West High School in the 1960s. Due to strikes and protests, Berry was only able to complete a year of high school.
“I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “One year, the parents were on strike, then it was the teachers. I had one year of high school.”
So he decided to start his career in the Air Force, but it didn’t quite fit for him. Berry always had a preference for the color blue, and the “blue line” as he called it led him down the path to the Navy.
Berry has since graduated and has several certifications and degrees. He studied at Lake Erie College and is a member of the fraternity Kappa Sigma.
But serving his country hasn’t always been easy. Berry has taken many blows physically and mentally throughout his service.
From homelessness for a short time to the ups and downs of dealing with various health issues with injuries from war, physical limitations, and even suffering from PTSD.
Still, Berry says he wouldn’t change a thing. Being a serviceman changed his life trajectory and allowed him to do the same for his children.
“Those girls changed my life, I’m so grateful,” he sobbed.