Creative nonfiction History, Historical romance, WW2, Family Saga, Memoir Biography
Date Published: September 1, 2020
Publisher: Silver Star Publishing Llc
Duty called.
He answered.
She, with child, was left behind.
He did not come home.
"They were the fathers we never knew, the uncles we never met, the friends who never returned, the heroes we can never repay." (B Clinton.) Such a man was 1st Lt Dean Harold Sherman, B-29 Airplane Commander one of the thousands of man-boys, not far from their mother’s apron strings, that learned to fly a B-29 thousands of miles and bomb an enemy.
“They Called Him Marvin” is a history of Dean Sherman and his teenage bride Connie’s love, World War 2 and their efforts to create a family. A history of the collision of the raging politics of a global war, young love, patriotism, sacred family commitments, duty and the horrors and tragedies, the catastrophe that war is.
A reviewer explains: "I am a fan of historical fiction and this story did not disappoint. It was sweet, tragic, personal, and moving. Gradually and almost imperceptibly, the story of two wartime sweethearts begins circling the drain of a tragedy you know is coming. The book begins with the ending, but by the time you get there you have convinced yourself that it can't possibly be the case. I enjoyed every moment, even the ones that left me in tears.
The letters between Connie and Dean provided a fascinating glimpse into wartime life. Reading the experiences of people both at home and abroad was very engaging. I found myself eagerly awaiting the next letter, right along with the young couple!
Lastly, the book left me with an overwhelming acknowledgment of the universal trauma and tragedy of war. The Sherman’s are not the only family we meet in the book and the weaving together of several different narratives added a depth to the story that's hard to put into words. I definitely encourage anyone to read this book, especially if historical novels are not something you typically read. This is a story about people and you won't want it to end."
Excerpt from “They Called Him
Marvin”
18 January 1941, The Story Begins
Stanley
Carter started all this.
...
I want to help you with your problem of not knowing any one in Salt Lake.
Tomorrow I am going to my girlfriends house, come with me, she would love to
meet you and then you will know two people here.”
Dean
answered, “I could be talked into that.”
“We are going to meet up at church and
then go to her house.”
By
the end of church the following day, Dean would actually know three people from
Salt Lake City. This because Stan’s girlfriend, Carol Woffinden, happened to be
the best friend of Constance Avilla Baldwin, who also just happened to attend
the same Waterloo Ward of the Mormon Church, who also didn’t have a boy friend,
and who was also more than happy to make a visitor feel welcome.
Dean
innocently walked into all of this.
Mormons
have a special interest in non Mormons, or Gentiles as they call them. You see, a Mormon is never far from, or without,
his missionary zeal. If you’re not a Mormon and your going to hang out with a
Mormon for very long, you’re going to get zealed. For Dean Harold Sherman, it was to be a life
altering dose of zealing.
Dean and Connie exchanged 67
letters (50 written by Dean) the night
(unbeknownst to him) that his son Marvin was born Dean wrote:
India --18 February 1945
Good Evening Peaches:
Hello sweet girl,
I sure have been thinking of you lots these days and wishing so much that I
could be around to take care of you, and be holding your nice soft hands and
giving you lots of moral support, and see your pretty face and look in your
eyes and without saying a word, tell you millions of wonderful things that you
mean to me. You do too, Honey, mean so
many wonderful things to me. All the
wonderful things a beautiful girl can be and my best companion ever along with
being the sweetest wife any guy ever could love. Those are just a few of the
things, Darling, which make me love you more every day...
Goodnight Peach Blossom,
Dean
On the day Dean was shot down Connie Wrote:
#57
-- 14 May 1945
My
most wonderful man,
I’m in a rather odd mood tonight
Honey, and it is most all about you and Marvin and me. I have been trying to decide whether or not I
would write to you tonight most all evening.
I wanted to, but I didn’t know if I could express my feelings as I would
want to, and, as I feel them. As you can
see Honey, I have made up my mind to try.
How well I succeed remains to be seen...
Then I was thinking of Marvin and
wondering just what his talents are going to be. To have a Daddy such as you, Honey, he will
be kind and good, even as you are, a wonderful man. Honey, I’m really just beginning to realize
what a great responsibility we have in teaching and caring for Marvin. We just have to do it to the very best of our
ability. I know you have lots of
ability, Honey, and I hope I have...
I have a hard time, the past seems
like such a thrilling dream of love and happiness. I wonder if it all really happened, but then
I know it did. And Oh! Honey how I do love you now and forever and
ever ever after with all my heart and soul.
Honey I just can’t express how deep my love for you is. Its an impossibility. I love you always.
Good
night my husband,
Peaches
Xxxxxxxxxx
10 December 1944, The Same Damn
Movie
…
In Puerto Rico the crew was quite happy to watch the new release The
Lady Takes a Chance starring John Wayne and Jean Arthur. Coincidently when
they reached British Guiana the same movie was featured. Not to be deterred the
crew again enjoyed the film. When they got to Brazil and it was again the
featured picture show, some murmuring occurred. The Corporalies, were feeling cheated.
When
they found the movie would be playing at their fourth stop also they complained
to Dean.
“Sir,
ain’t the Army got any other movies?”
“We
know the lines better than the actors.”
“We
know John Wayne is going to eat the lamb chops because Jean Arthur cooked them
for him even tho he is a beef man.”
“Maybe
there will be something new at our next stop,” was the consolation Dean
offered. After crossing the Atlantic The Corporalies showed signs of giving
up on the movies.
But
in KhartoumThe Corporalies forced
into the NCO Club by the searing heat and therefore ‘forced‘ to drink cold beer
all day had a terrible yearning, near evening, for a movie.
“Howell,
go see what’s playing at the movies tonight.” ordered his fellow Corporalies.
By
virtue of being the youngest Howell was often the brunt of such requests
especially after three or four beers. He had given up protesting that he was
the same rank as them. In fact as the Central Gunner, he was in charge of the
other gunners in combat, but as the youngest of four boys at home he felt a
strange comfort in re-playing the role with his combat brothers.
“And
damn it, don’t come back if it is The
Lady Takes a Chance.”
Of
course he discovered that The Lady
was indeed tonights special feature. On the way back to the NCO Club with the
sad news that John Wayne was again eating those lamb chops even here on the
edge of the Nile Rivers, he met his Airplane Commander.
“Sir,
they are playing that same damn movie here, oh sorry sir, that same John Wayne
movie is playing here. We are sick of it, Sir, ain’t the Army got any other
movies?”
“Evan,
the reason that movie shows up everywhere we go, is that we have been tasked
with delivering it to our final destination while allowing each layover
airfield to use it.”
Howell
stared at his Airplane Commander as his cognitive impaired brain tried to
process. The light finally came on for him, a bit dim, but it came on. “Oh,
Sir, I see Sir, I’ll tell the boys.”
And
off he wandered, not in the direction of the boys, but in the direction of his
bunk, taking his comrades threat to not return with bad news seriously.
About the Author
I am, by my own admission, a reluctant writer. But there are stories that demand to to be told. When we hear them, we must pick up our pen, lest we forget and the stories be lost.
Six years ago, in a quiet conversation with my friend Marvin, I learned the tragic story his father, a WW2 B-29 Airplane Commander, shot down over Nagoya, Japan just months before the end of the war. A father he never knew. The telling of the story that evening by this half orphan was so moving and full of emotion, it compelled me to ask if I could write the story. The result being “They Called Him Marvin.”
My life has been profoundly touched in so many ways by being part of documenting this sacred story. I pray that we never forget, as a people, the depth of sacrifice that was made by ordinary people like Marvin and his father and mother on our behalf.
My career as an addiction counselor (CDP) lead me to write “The Waterfall Concept; A Blueprint for Addiction Recovery," and co-author "Reclaiming Your Addicted Brain."
After my counseling retirement, I decided I wanted to learn more about the craft of writing and started attending classes at Portland Oregon’s Attic Institute. What I learned is that there are an mazing number of great writers in my area and they were willing to help others improve their skills. I am grateful to many of them.
My next project is already underway, a memoir of growing in SW Washington called “Life on a Sorta Farm.” My wife of 49 years, Susan and I still live in that area.
We raised seven children, and have eleven grandchildren. We love to travel and see the sites and cultures of the world. I still get on my bicycle whenever I can.
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