Mark "Vic" Sherwood
| Date and Place of Birth: | 1919 Oswego, NY |
| Date and Place of Death: | July 1, 1944 Anzio, Italy |
| Baseball Experience: | College |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Rank: | Private First Class |
| Military Unit: | 168th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
Mark D. “Vic” Sherwood, Jr., was born in Oswego, New York in 1919. He
attended Oswego High School where he was an outstanding left-handed
pitcher and basketball star. It was during this time that he earned the
nickname, “Vic”, after the well-known Syracuse University athletic star,
Vic Hanson, who captained the Syracuse baseball, football and basketball
teams.
Sherwood entered St. Lawrence University at Canton, New York in 1938,
where his older brother, Donald was also studying and playing third
base. Mark Sherwood played semi-pro baseball with the Oswego team of the
Central New York Semi-Pro League during his freshman year, with his
brother at third base, they played teams from Fulton, Sherrill,
Syracuse, Watertown and Auburn and he frequently pitched against former
big leaguers including former Cardinals’ hurler Al Grabowski. Sherwood
was considered an excellent prospect for the St.Lawrence varsity team
and was the mainstay of their pitching staff from 1940 to 1942,
captaining the team his senior year.
Decsribed by the school newspaper, The Hill News, as, “broadminded,
quiet, retiring, but strong willed,” Sherwood was president of the L
Club and was one of just 12 students selected from the senior class to
be included in “Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and
Colleges” as representatives of St. Lawrence University.
With the United States at war with Germany and Japan, and despite
telling the Hill News that he wanted to teach history and coach baseball
in high school after graduation, Sherwood and four other St. Lawrence
seniors were sworn into the U.S. Marine Corps by recruiting officer
2/Lt. Arthur Bretherick in March 1942. Beginning in May 1942, he was
expected to start training with the Candidates Class for Commission in
the United States Marine Corps Reserve. However, Sherwood was never to
serve with the Marines. Instead, he entered service with the Army in
January 1943 and served as a Private First Class with the 168th Infantry
Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division.
Serving in the Mediterranean Theater, Pfc. Sherwood was wounded at
Salerno, Italy, in September 1943, suffering leg injuries that required
several months of hospitalization. He returned to his unit in April 1944
and was seriously wounded in action following the breakout of the
beachhead at Anzio.
Mark Sherwood died from his wounds on July 1, 1944. He is buried at
Florence American Cemetery in Florence, Italy. He also has a headstone,
alongside his parents and sister, at Riverside Cemetery in Pulaski, New
York.
Sources:
Oswego Palladium-Times, August 8, 1938
Oswego Palladium-Times, June 16, 1939
Oswego Palladium-Times, June 19, 1939
Oswego Palladium-Times, October 10, 1941
Oswego Palladium-Times, July 21, 1944
Oswego Palladium-Times, June 12, 1946
The Hill News, 1939 to 1942
Date Added May 9, 2013 Updated July 23, 2013
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