Sherman W. Stout
Biography: Sherman William Stout was born on May 26, 1918, in Parsons, Kansas. He was the son of Liona S. Stout and Mabel Martin and attended School House #6 in Chester, Arkansas, through the grammar level. After leaving school, he worked as a farm hand but he also joined the CCC *(Civilian Conservation Corps) and worked on projects that focused on conservation and development of natural resources. Sherman was assigned to Company 737, which was working in the area of Burns, Harney County, Oregon.
Service Time: Sherman entered the service on March 13, 1941, at Camp Joseph Robinson, Arkansas. After his basic training, he was assigned to an armored unit but was eventually transferred into Company C of the 809th Tank Destroyer Battalion where he served as a gun crewman. The 809th trained within the U.S. at a number of facilities including Cowhouse Creek, Texas, Camp Hood, TX, Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, Camp Robinson, AR and Fort Benning, Georgia. They had also participated in maneuvers in Louisiana, Arizona and California. Sherman qualified as an marksman with the carbine and an expert with the 3″ and 76mm guns. These qualifications earned him the rating of a 1st Class Gunner on December 27th, 1943.
In the photo at the far left, Sherman poses with an unknown friend. The near-left photo shows him with his crew while training in the U.S. He is second from the left.
The 809th received their overseas orders and proceeded to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where they prepared to ship to the E.T.O. The unit shipped out on November 30, 1944, and landed in Liverpool, England, on December 8th. They were there briefly before setting sail again and arriving at Le Havre, France, on January 20, 1945. They were was equipped with M18 tank destroyers and supported the Roer River crossing in late February followed by operations at the Rhine River and Roer Pocket in April. They converted to the 90mm gunned M36 tank destroyer that same month.
On April 12th, while the unit was in the vicinity of Soest, Germany, northeast of Dusseldorf, Sherman was outside of his tank destroyer when he was hit in the stomach, by a sniper’s bullet. The bullet passed through his stomach and shattered his right wrist. He was sent to the 48th Field Hospital, where he was initially treated but due to the extent tof his wounds, he was ultimately shipped home, arriving back in the U.S. on May 20th. He received additional treatment and although details are unclear, it is believed that donor bone was used to repair his wrist and then it was attached to the skin of his stomach to cover his wound. He was finally discharged from the Madigan General Hospital in Tacoma, Washington, on July 18, 1946, over a year later.
He received the Purple Heart in recognition of his wounds and was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the American Theater Ribbon and the EAME Ribbon with one service star for his participation in the Central Europe Campaign.
The photo at left shows Sherman in Germany using some of his farming skills, plowing with a horse and a bull, which could be a difficult team.
Sherman returned to California and found work in a lumber mill. In September of 1948, possibly in Reno, Nevada, he married the former Dolores Christine Ranney who was born in Sapaulpa, Oklahoma, and was the daughter of Jesse Jacques Ranney and Elizabeth Jane “Lizzie” Barnes. The new couple would have a son, Daniel born in 1951 and daughter, Anna in 1952. Sadly, their marriage would end in May of 1956. Sherman married the former Dorothy June Brunswick, who was born in Madison, Nebraska, and was the daughter of Ervin G Brunswick and Blanche Phoebe Kuhfahl. They had one son, Ervin, born in 1957. At the time of this tribute, Sherman has six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
In his spare time, Sherman enjoyed hunting and fishing and was a “rock hound” or amateur collector of rocks and minerals. He also enjoyed bowling and horseshoes and felt his “fused” wrist helped him to excel at both activities. He also a lifetime member of the VFW Post 6604 and the 809th Tank Destroyer Association. He and Dorothy were able to attend many of the 809th’s reunions over the years and were married 50 years. Sherman passed away on May 27, 2006, and was buried in the Newcastle Cemetery in Newcastle, CA. I want to thank Sherman’s son, Dan, for providing the information and photos used in this tribute.
