Marine’s mother honors those left behind

CHANGING LANES: Marine’s mother honors those left behind
By Katherine Bennett
GateHouse News Service
Posted Mar 12, 2010 @ 01:00 PM
Hingham —
There is pain that goes beyond my imagining. It is the loss of a child. On Nov. 10, 2009, Denise Sherman of Plymouth woke up to her worst nightmare. After nearly a week of agony that followed the somber message her only son was missing, she was given the news that Sergeant Benjamin W. Sherman had died in Afghanistan.

Keven Joyce, a Marine veteran who served in Vietnam, attended a dinner on Feb. 24 at the Barker Tavern to raise money for the foundation founded in Benjamin Sherman’s honor. Standing off to the side of the high-spirited crowd, Keven remarked, “America is made by people who chose to make the ultimate sacrifice.” Stating that he was attracted to the event because all donations benefit families of veterans, Keven spoke of the hardships faced by veteran’s families who lose a provider, and the families who now have to provide for a veteran who returns home with catastrophic injuries.

Keven explained that the medical advances on the front lines of today’s military may save lives, but do nothing to prepare soldiers for life after initial trauma is stabilized. “Technology saves you today because formerly mortal wounds are survivable, but there is no more support today than there was back in Vietnam for the soldiers with severe head injuries or who have lost multiple limbs. A far greater percentage of people who use to die on the battlefield are kept alive, but there is nowhere near the support they need when they return home.”

Benjamin’s mother did not have the privilege of having a wounded son return home. She had to face the agony of never looking into his warm brown eyes again. But- instead of falling apart, she founded the Benjamin W. Sherman foundation to honor his legacy by providing financial assistance to veterans and their families.
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Marine mother honors those left behind