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Navy Federal Credit Union
William
Patrick
Sherman
March 29, 1882

–

April 20, 1953

Born:

Tobyhanna

, 

Pennsylvania

Home:

Tobyhanna

, 

Pennsylvania

Buried: 

Tobyhanna

, 

Pennsylvania

Cemetery:

Saint Ann’s Cemetery

A cousin of Civil War General William T. Sherman, William P. Sherman graduated from Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, grade schools and high school. He attended Saint Bonaventure College and Christ the King Seminary. On September 23, 1909, he was ordained a Catholic priest, and then did a year of postgraduate work at Catholic University, in Washington, D.C., before being assigned as assistant pastor of Saint Luke’s Church in Jersey Shore. He later served as assistant pastor at Saint Joseph’s Church in St. Joseph, Pennsylvania; Saint Ann’s Church in Freeland; Saint Joseph’s Church in Athens; and then at St. Patrick’s Church in West Scranton, all in Pennsylvania. He was one of the first chaplains of his Diocese to volunteer for service during World War I, and was commissioned a U.S. Army chaplain on October 31, 1917, and left for France with the 6th Engineer Regiment less than two months later. He served from November 1917 until September 1922, when he returned to civilian pastorate at Holy Rosary Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and then at Saint Rose Church in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. He continued in ministry at other pastorates until his retirement from active ministry in 1931.

Awards Received

  • Silver Star

    Service:

    United States Army

    Rank:

    First Lieutenant (Chaplain’s Corps)

    Regiment:

    6th Engineer Regiment

    Division:

    3d Division, American Expeditionary Forces

    Action Date:

    October 14 – 26, 1918
    Headquarters, 3d Division, A.E.F., Citation Orders No. 22 (July 8, 1919)

    By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), First Lieutenant (Chaplain’s Corps) William Patrick Sherman, United States Army, is cited by the Commanding General, 3d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the World War I Victory Medals awarded him. While serving with the 6th Engineer Regiment, 3d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, during the time from 14 to 26 October 1918, Chaplain Sherman remained in the Bois de Fays with his regiment under constant and heavy shell fire. He was constantly engaged during this time in administering to the wounded and burying the dead. On 23 October he proceeded to the Claire Chenes Woods, where three companies of the Regiment held a front line position, and at this time supervised the burial of two officers and several enlisted men who had been killed in the action on 20 October 1918. Chaplain Sherman spent practically his whole time with the enlisted men of the Regiment and never hesitated to put himself in danger whenever a man was wounded or whenever he could be of assistance or comfort.