Sherman Vangrov was born in March 1927 in Dayton, Ohio, but moved around the county because his mother was ill. He enjoyed his youth in Dayton because the city was clean, and his schools were close to his home. He was at home when he heard about the Pearl Harbor attack [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] on the radio. He was surprised, but initially it did not sink in for him of what was about to happen. His brother went into the service in 1940, and when he was a senior in high school, Vangrov decided to enlist. The military was not taking enlistments at that time, so Vangrov decided to join the Merchant Marines in September [Annotator’s Note: of 1944]. He was sent to Sheepshead Bay, New York for 12 weeks of training. Upon completion, he was sent to radio school in Boston [Annotator’s Note: Boston, Massachusetts] for a few months before they closed the school because the war ended in Europe. He was shipped out to France for overseas duty. It took a little time for him to adjust to being on the liberty ship SS William D. Pender. He enjoyed his time on the ship because it was something new and it was an adventure. He and two of his friends from training shared quarters together. His first trip across the Atlantic was rough, but he got used to it quickly. After 10 days, the water became quiet and calm. He went on deck and talked to a deckhand and learned that he was in the Mediterranean heading for Marseille [Annotator’s Note: Marseille, France]. His ship carried supplies and unloaded at the dock, and then brought troops back to the United States. His ship made trips to Marseille or Le Havre [Annotator’s Note: Le Havre, France] during his deployments.

Sherman Vangrov served on the SS William D. Pender as a Merchant Marine during the last months of World War 2. His ship brought supplies to France, and then transported troops back to the United States. On his last trip, when returning from France, it was wintertime. The waters were very rough, and his ship was being tossed around. Some of the troops thought they were going to die. His ship was thrown off course for three days and arrived in the United States around New Year’s of 1946. When the troops were disembarking, the military personnel realized a captain had gone missing. They never did find him, and figured he was thrown overboard by the weather or by someone. It took about two months to make one round trip. They were bringing food supplies over to the troops in France. He enjoyed his experience in the Merchant Marines, but he was happy to go home and attend college. He did not receive the G.I. Bill because he was in Merchant Marines, which was not considered a branch of military service. He does not think the war changed him too much. His service helped him grow up a little and become more worldly.