John Marvin Sherwood

Bio and photo courtesy of Andrew Pestle

John Marvin Sherwood was born in Stewartsville, Missouri, on November 14th, 1890. It seems that his mother became ill following his birth, and she died just seven days after the delivery. His father remarried a few years later and subsequently relocated to Montana. It appears that John and his siblings remained in Missouri and were primarily raised by their maternal grandparents. John graduated from high school in about 1908 and eventually received 3 years of college education. He was farming in Plattsburg, MO, during the 1917 draft registration and listed "asthenia" as a possible deferment from military service (this is a term for physical weakness or a lack of energy).

Despite the claim, John was drafted into the US Army on April 29th, 1918, and was soon assigned as a Private to Company "L" of the 354th Infantry Regiment, 89th Division. His unit sailed to England aboard the SS Ascanius on June 5th and soon crossed the English Channel into France. Following several weeks of overseas training, the regiment entered the frontlines near Noviant-aux-Prés on August 12th. The 354th Infantry experienced heavy fighting in the final months of the war and received campaign credit for the Euvezin and Lucey Sectors, the Battle of St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Of particular note, John was likely present when two members of Company "L" displayed exceptional heroism rescuing several wounded doughboys from no-man's-land on October 31st, 1918. These two men, PFC Charles Barger and CPL Jesse Funk, would later receive the Medal of Honor for their bravery.

Pvt. Sherwood survived his combat experience unharmed and subsequently traveled into Germany for occupation duties. This photograph depicts him in the Rhineland in 1919. John returned to the United States aboard the USS Leviathan on May 22nd, 1919, and received an honorable discharge on June 3rd. His service number was 2212987.

John initially returned to farming in Missouri after the war and married in 1927. He soon started a family and later relocated to Montana for work. John was active in the Presbyterian Church, the Masonic Lodge, and the American Legion. He lived to the age of 76 years, before dying of a sudden heart attack on March 24th, 1967. He is now buried with a military headstone in the Dadeville Masonic Cemetery of Dadeville, MO.

https://www.findagrave.com/.../11242.../john-marvin-sherwood