Today we honor John Sherman, 101st Airborne, 327 Gliderman WWII.
His mother and father, two oldest brothers and sister were born in Cornwall, England with one older, one younger brother and me born in Detroit, Michigan.
John was the second youngest. His dad worked for the City of Detroit Street railways while John worked for Naval Ordinance, a plant in Warren, Michigan as a tool and die maker. All five boys served in the Army with the oldest in the Army Air Corp (stateside), next oldest in the Armored Division from Africa to Berlin and wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. The next oldest was 103rd Infantry with three campaign stars. John was with the 101st Airborne Division, Glider Infantry and fought in the battle campaigns of Holland, Bastogne and Hitler’s hideout receiving four campaign stars. The youngest brother was in the 9th Corp. in the Pacific and received two campaign stars.
John enlisted because he felt it was the right thing to do and completed 17 weeks of training aimed for Infantry replacement. Military life and the physical regimen was tough, but tolerable. He served in the European Theatre campaigns in Holland (Market Garden), the Battle of the Bulge, South France, Germany, and Austria. I made the New York City Victory Parade with the 82nd Airborne Division in January 1946. The action that he witnessed was more than he likes to think about, all from close up to artillery barrages. The death camps and slave labor had a monstrous effect on John, still does. He witnessed total terror, but enjoyed seeing Germany in ruins and the Krauts suffering. He was saddened at the sight of starving and wandering labor camp victims. . “You would try to give them food and they would almost die right in front of you, because the food was too rich for them. They were only skin and bones.” There are people that say the camps were fictitious or made up. But John who witnessed them firsthand can attest that they were not. Many people have asked him about the different things that affected him during the war, vivid memories of the death camps and the way the Germans treated people. John will never, never understand how human beings could treat others that way. But then he realized that is why we were there, so it would stop.
Few friendships were formed, as too many didn’t make it through. But he made a lifetime connection with Don Rich, a GREAT man and friend. The communication with family and friends kept him going. He was able to see two of his brothers while overseas with one in the hospital and one in combat. As far as recreation or what they referred to as R&R (rest and recovery), he just enjoyed being out of the line of fire. At the end of the war, he was at Hitler’s hideout. The return back to the states began by boarding the Queen Mary with the 82nd Airborne Division to make the Victory Parade down 5th Avenue in New York City which was GOOD and fun. His family and the community received him like a hero, that he was.
John’s girlfriend during the war, now wife of 67 years wrote him every day and worked three jobs. They were married three months after his return home. His readjustment back to civilian life had no problem at first but for some along the way those who did not serve, feared we would take their jobs. Strangely, they never talked about the war, not even with his brothers who had seen combat. John is learning after almost 70 years about ex-coworkers that are passing and from their obituaries of their service and amazing stories. It’s hard to say how my wartime experiences affected John. He appreciates being alive and being able to function. He knows full well that anyone else put in his situation would have done as well or better. He doesn’t have good memories of the war. The worst part was having fear of what might happen. His greatest fear was being under artillery bombardment. The one lesson he learned from military service was to choose the guys you would like to have on your back in a firefight as friends.
It was John’s honor to serve this great country. The longer he lives, the more he thinks that we would be speaking German and become slaves if we had lost. As for protestors of the war, he has no use for those that protest and simultaneously reap the advantages of the sacrifices of those that served and continue to serve our country. He is always PROUD when people thank him for his service and lets them know how much he appreciates them and their remarks.
John and Phyllis had two sons but lost their oldest son, Jack on June 24, 1993, the worst day of their lives. But before he passed, John took him to Holland and Bastogne. He died in his arms 8 months later. One of the last things he said to his veteran father and mother was that he loved them and the trip to Holland was the best thing that ever happened for him. This was a relief for John who would not answer many of his son’s questions about the war. John later regretted this. When he was hospitalized in Holland, the Dutch took wonderful care of him.
When John tried to pay the bill for his release, they told him that he paid for it back in September 1944… To this day, the Dutch have never forgotten the liberation of their country.
John Sherman is featured in Kevin Brook’s book, GLIDER INFANTRYMAN, with Don Rich who passed away in 2013.
Comes A Soldier’s Whisper, remembering history and honoring our veterans one day at a time.
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