 APP.COM -- A former student at Manasquan and High Technology high schools known for his love of sports and the outdoors died on Thursday when insurgents attacked his Army unit near Mosul, Iraq.
 Sgt. Stephen R. Sherman, 27, was the oldest of four children of a Willow Drive family. He had joined the Army in April 2003 and had been in Iraq since October.
Sherman was a passenger in an armored Stryker combat vehicle when it was hit by a homemade bomb in the early morning hours, said Henry Kearney, a spokesman for Fort Monmouth.
During his short time there, Sherman had survived an insurgent attack in December that killed more than 20 of his fellow soldiers inside a mess hall in Mosul, Kearney said.
"Our family is deeply saddened, and our hearts are heavy," Sherman's family wrote in a joint statement that was released by the Army. "Stephen was a great son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, and a dedicated soldier who was devoted to making the world a better place."
After completing basic training, Sherman became a chemical operations specialist. As a noncommissioned officer, Sherman oversaw other soldiers who looked for and decontaminated nuclear, biological and chemical weapons in Iraq.
He also maintained and supervised chemical equipment and supplies for the Army.
"He died fighting for what he believed in, and our entire family is proud of his service," Sherman's family said in their statement. "We will always remember Stephen as a hero. He will forever be missed by his family and by his many friends."
Sherman was part of the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division based out of Fort Lewis, Wash.
Born in Arlington, Va., in 1977, Sherman and his family moved to Spring Lake Heights when he was 11. They moved to Neptune four years ago.
High school athlete
Bruce Jeska, who coached Sherman on the wrestling team at Manasquan High School, remembered him as "a hard worker who always gave his all."
Jeska, the high school's wrestling coach from 1993 to 2003, recalled the day when Sherman showed up to a wrestling practice a few years ago.
He had just finished basic training and came to inform Jeska of his Army plans. Sherman told Jeska that the discipline he gained through wrestling helped him get through the rigors of camp.
"He was really excited to go into the military," Jeska recalled. "I think he may have even had his uniform on. He was proud of it. That was probably the last I saw of him."
Sherman was a freshman at Manasquan, then was admitted to High Technology High School on the Brookdale Community College campus in Middletown for his sophomore through senior years, graduating in 1996. He continued to wrestle at Manasquan for all four years.
Manasquan High School Principal Cary D. McCormack remembered Sherman as "a very, very nice person" who was a friend of McCormack's son, Michael.
"When it's one of your own, it definitely does hit home," McCormack said Thursday.
Sherman's whole family was athletic, McCormack said. Edward Sherman, a younger brother, played basketball at Manasquan.
Australia to the Caymans
Sherman attended the University of Oregon, earning a degree in business administration in 2001. He spent a semester at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.
He enjoyed outdoor sports and was interested in survival skills, which included an 80-day Outward Bound Excursion survival skills training course.
Before joining the Army two years ago, Sherman managed a Budget Rent-A-Car franchise in the Cayman Islands.
Stephen Sherman is survived by his mother, Bernadette Sherman of Neptune; his father, Richard W. Sherman of Great Falls, Va.; his brothers, Eddie and Danny, and his sister, Caitlin; his grandmothers, Rose Wildeman of Point Pleasant and Beverly Marten of Dover, Del.; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
No funeral arrangements had been announced as of Thursday night.
Editors Note: Following are some comments about Sgt Sherman sent to me in private communication.
Here's what his high school buddies have been saying:
Steve was a dear friend to myself and many others. Those who knew and loved him have spent today discussing the times we had with with him and the plans we had in the future that will, sadly, never materialize. Steve was an adventurer, a loyal and true man. He loved his family and friends dearly. Steve's humor left everyone he met with a grin. Steve would make you laugh, then carry on joking until your tummy hurt. I'll never forget his serious glare, cut by a jovial smile.
Steve climbed mountains, lived in the islands, traveled the country and blessed everyone he met with God's love. He was an amazing man.
We will miss him dearly.
-Dan
Daniel O. Niemela
Englewood, CO
First of all, I need you to understand the type of kinship shared by all members of our graduating class of 1996 in High Tech High School. For the better majority of us, High Tech was a utopian existence we were blessed to experience, 50 students brought together and gelled with a chemistry that you couldn't script better in any cinematic fashion. We all enjoyed a unique feeling of being a vibrant thread in a large tapestry of comradery, respect, and love.
Steve was a chord in this tapestry of unmatched strength and chroma. An athlete, a philosopher, and a comedian, Steve possessed a bound, focused current of intensity throughout his entire being, whether he was discussing the finer points of movies we enjoyed, or coiling his body like a panther to lay a devastating tackle playing sandlot football. He was a reserved person, he never felt the need like so many of us to propogate his opinions on others, he simply lived by a code of just principles and let his actions speak for himself. He had a wonderful laugh that belied his demure nature, never hesitating to show enjoyment of his company. To many, Steve's brevity in his responses during conversation might imply some false sense of simplicity or ignorance. Such individuals would be quickly humbled for feeling as such; when he felt the need, Steve could open up a thoroughly stimulating conversation in an intelligent and unassuming fashion, allowing you to marvel at his subtle genius, yet never feeling out of place with him, as he always showed genuine interest and consideration for what you had to say.
In short, Steve truly encompassed all the qualities any man could hope to possess; strength, dedication, intelligence, and charisma. Steve was a hero to so many of us that knew him throughout high school and beyond, a long time before he became a hero to his country by deciding to risk his life and surrendering his painful sacrifice. He will be dearly missed, but moreso than that, and certainly for his sake, will always be honored as a man whom we admired and felt fortunate for the chance to call him our friend.
Respectfully Yours,
Brian C. Betcher"
"Yes I knew Steve; we did graduate high school together in 1996. Steve was a very honest person, and a man of strong character and
conviction. I will always remember him as a bold & brave person, loyal to
his friends and never afraid to make his own path in the world.
-Ryan T. Downey |
Sheetal N(modesto, ca)