Sherman Lynn Strother
Sergeant Sherman L. Strother served with Company D, First Armored Amphibian Battalion.
He drowned in an accident near San Clemente Island, California, on 3 January 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular Service Number 292669
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
CONUS Loss
Because this individual died within the limits of the continental United States, they are not tracked by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
June 16, 1922
at Wilsonburg, WV
Parents
John Arden Strother (d. 1937)
Beulah Hassel (Hardin) Strother
Education
Grammar school
Occupation & Employer
Coal miner
Service Life
Entered Service
August 23, 1940
at Charleston, WV
Home Of Record
520 Winegar Street
Clarksburg, WV
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Beulah Strother
Military Specialty
LVT(A) Commander
Primary Unit
D/1st Armored Ampbibian Battalion
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal (with 11th Marines)
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Sherman Strother, a pre-war Marine from West Virginia, served as a truck driver and mechanic with the 11th Marines in peacetime and through the Guadalcanal campaign. In 1943, he was reassigned for tank training and instruction in amphibious vehicles. This led to an assignment with Company D, First Armored Amphibian Battalion – and a promotion to sergeant in charge of an LVTA-1 amphibious tank.
On 3 January 1944, the Amphibs participated in a major landing exercise at San Clemente Island, California. This program, intended as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming invasion of the Marshall Islands (Operation Flintlock), involved thousands of Marines, sailors, and aviators, and was largely a success. A handful of operational casualties occurred, and were accepted as part of the cost of preparation.
Sergeant Strother fell victim to a freak accident during the landing operation. He was “washed from [a] boat by rough seas” during the exercise, and drowned before help could reach him.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Memorials
None known.
Next Of Kin Address
Mrs. Beulah Strother lived at 520 Winegar Street, Clarksburg. This address no longer exists.
Location Of Loss
Sergeant Strother drowned in the vicinity of San Clemente Island, California.
