10

Hannibal, Missouri
July 27, 1963

"It was ten years ago today as a matter of fact we said goodbye to Korea and to each other. I never thought that ten years later I would be saying goodbye for good. I always knew I would have to say goodbye someday, but I never imagined it being this soon. When Sherman arrived at the 4077th we all thought he would be this strict by the books army colonel, but we were wrong. We bonded almost instantly. Sherman was a surrogate father to us all. He was there for everyone and everything. There were times in Korea that I was certain I was going to go mad, I felt like I was at the end of my rope, and it seemed when things were at their darkest, I knew I could always go to Sherm and he would be the light to guide me out of the darkness. And its just so ironic that now I stand here toady reading his eulogy as he lies there in total darkness and I'm totally helpless to do anything, to bring any light back to him. If there is a god and heaven then I know that Sherm is there now and the place is a little brighter because of him."

After delivering the last line of the eulogy a teary-eyed Hawkeye Pierce walked down the isle of the church to sit in the pew next to his wife, who lost the "dear sweet man" she looked to as a father. A part of the 4077th died that day, but they all realized what didn't kill them would only make them stronger.


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