R.I.P. Sgt. Benjamin W. Sherman

Name: Sgt. Benjamin W. Sherman

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Age: 21

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From: Plymouth, Mass.

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Assigned to 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

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Incident: Sgt. Benjamin W. Sherman died Nov. 4 in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, while participating in a resupply mission.

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Died: November 04, 2009

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(Taken from www.southcoasttoday.com of Nov. 19)The body of Army Sgt. Benjamin W. Sherman, who died two weeks ago in Afghanistan, arrived Wednesday at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford.

Visiting hours for the 21-year-old soldier will be 3-7 p.m. today at the Richard Davis Funeral Home in Plymouth. A funeral service is planned for 11 a.m. Friday at the Second Church of Plymouth in Manomet. Burial will follow at Manomet Cemetery.

Family, friends and supporters of Sherman are invited to gather along the funeral procession route.

Sherman, a New Bedford native who grew up in Plymouth, was serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was a member of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. He lived on the base with his, wife, Patricia, who is expecting the couple's first child.

A former Army specialist, Sherman was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

He and another U.S. soldier were swept away by strong river currents while trying to recover a food parcel that fell in the river during a resupply mission.

The Department of Defense issued a release Wednesday identifying Sgt. Sherman as "having been killed while participating in the Nov. 4 resupply mission" in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan.

The release stated that Sgt. Brandon T. Islip, 23, of Richmond, Va., has been unaccounted for since he "went missing" while involved in the resupply mission.

"Search and recovery efforts are ongoing, and the incident is under investigation," according to the defense department.

The family has established the Benjamin W. Sherman Memorial Foundation for donations that will honor his memory by providing financial assistance to families of military service members during unexpected times of hardship.

Donations can be dropped off at any Rockland Trust branch or mailed to Rockland Trust, 288 Union St, Rockland, MA 02370.