David Sherman
Encyclopedia
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
during the Vietnam War show prominently in his work.
Biography
Sherman was born in Niles, OhioNiles, Ohio
Niles is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 20,932 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. He is fond of saying:
- "I'm the second most famous person to ever come out of Niles, Ohio, the first being William McKinley".
Sherman grew up in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, from where he joined the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
soon after turning 18. While a Marine he served in the peace time infantry, a tour as a military policeman, and fought a war in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. After his departure from the U. S. Marine Corps he moved to Philadelphia where he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
. He had a brief stint as a sculptor, winning awards for his work. He began writing in 1983, and his first book, Knives in the Night
Knives in the Night
Knives in the Night is a Vietnam War novel by David Sherman published in 1987 by the Ivy Book imprint of Ballantine Books. It is the first novel in Sherman's Night Fighter Series, and Mr. Sherman's first published book....
, was published in 1987. Altogether, as of June 2007, Sherman has published 26 novels, including 15 with his co-author, Dan Cragg
Dan Cragg
Dan Cragg is an American soldier, essayist, and science-fiction author.-Biography:He is the son of James Wilson and Gertrude Cragg and was married to the late Sun P....
.
After a long residence in Philadelphia, in 2004 he moved to southern Florida.
Military career
David Sherman enlisted in the US Marine Corps directly out of high school. He went through Boot Camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA and Infantry Training Regiment at Camp San Onofre, a part of Marine Corps Base Camp PendletonMarine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base...
, CA. He was promoted to Private First Class
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
(PFC) prior to reporting to his first duty station, the First Marine Brigade at Marine Corps Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Ohau, HI, where he was assigned to third platoon, Lima Company, Third Battalion, Fourth Marines. While there he was promoted to Lance Corporal and rose from basic rifleman to fire team leader. Following that tour in the peace time infantry, he served as a military policeman at MCAS Cherry Point, NC. His last tour of duty was in the Republic of Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, where he first was a fire team leader in India Company, First Battalion, First Marines, then in a Combined Action Platoon
Combined action program
Drawing from previous experience in "small wars", the United States Marine Corps operated the Combined Action Program during the Vietnam War, from 1965 to 1971. "The Combined Action Platoon's genesis was not a deliberate plan from a higher headquarters, rather, it was a solution to one infantry...
at Hoa Bun hamlet, several miles from the Chu Lai
Chu Lai
Chu Lai is a sea port, urban and industrial area in Dung Quat Bay, Núi Thành district, Quang Nam province of Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai Airport.-Vietnam War:...
Marine base. He was promoted to Corporal at the same time he joined the CAP. He was released from active duty on his return from Vietnam and honorably discharged upon completion of his six years combined active and reserve service. He holds the Combat Action Ribbon
Combat Action Ribbon
The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal military decoration of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard which is awarded to those who, in any grade including and below that of a Captain in the Navy and Coast Guard , have actively participated in ground or...
, several unit citations, both US and Vietnamese, the Good Conduct Medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
, and service and campaign medals.
Overview
Sherman says this of himself:- "I began my writing career writing novels about US Marines fighting the war in Vietnam (I was one and I did). Today I'm writing novels about Marines fighting wars centuries in the future and in a world that never existed. Seems I've been typecast."
On October 24, 2008, Sherman was interviewed for Armed Forces Network (a network and website for US military personnel in Europe), and the interview was posted on their website. In the interview he discusses Starfist, how the series came to be, and mentions that a motion picture screenplay of the first book, First to Fight, was being shopped around Hollywood. The screenplay was not written by either Sherman or his co-author Dan Cragg, but by a die hard fan of the Starfist series Eric Bean.
Literary themes
Sherman's fiction thus far deals with military themes, in particular, military themes involving Marine enlisted men. His only novel that doesn't deal with this theme directly is his Star WarsStar Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
universe novel (with Dan Cragg), Jedi Trial
Jedi Trial
Jedi Trial is a science fiction novel by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. It is set in the Star Wars galaxy during the Clone Wars, 2.5 years after the Battle of Geonosis in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and 19.5 years before the Battle of Yavin in Episode IV: A New Hope.-Summary:This...
.
The Night Fighter Saga
- Knives in the NightKnives in the NightKnives in the Night is a Vietnam War novel by David Sherman published in 1987 by the Ivy Book imprint of Ballantine Books. It is the first novel in Sherman's Night Fighter Series, and Mr. Sherman's first published book....
; Ivy Books, 1987 - Main Force AssaultMain Force AssaultMain Force Assault is a Vietnam War novel by David Sherman published in 1987 by the Ivy Book imprint of Ballantine Books. It is the second novel in Sherman's Night Fighter Series....
; Ivy Books, 1987 - Out of the FireOut of the FireOut of the Fire is a Vietnam War novel by David Sherman published in 1987 by the Ivy Book imprint of Ballantine Books. It is the third novel in Sherman's Night Fighter Series....
; Ivy Books, 1987 - A Rock and a Hard PlaceA Rock and a Hard PlaceA Rock and a Hard Place is a Vietnam War novel by David Sherman published in 1988 by the Ivy Book imprint of Ballantine Books. It is the fourth novel in Sherman's Night Fighter Series....
; Ivy Books, 1988 - A Nghu Night FallsA Nghu Night FallsA Nghu Night Falls is a Vietnam War novel by David Sherman published in 1988 by the Ivy Book imprint of Ballantine Books. It is the fifth novel in Sherman's Night Fighter Series....
; Ivy Books, 1988 - Charlie Don't Live Here AnymoreCharlie Don't Live Here AnymoreCharlie Don't Live Here Anymore is a Vietnam War novel by David Sherman published in 1989 by the Ivy Book imprint of Ballantine Books. It is the sixth and final novel in Sherman's Night Fighter Series....
; Ivy Books, 1989
Novels not part of a series
- There I Was: The War of Corporal Henry J Morris, USMCThere I Was: The War of Corporal Henry J Morris, USMCThere I Was: the War of Corporal Henry J Morris, USMC is a Vietnam War novel by David Sherman published in 1989 by the Ivy Book imprint of Ballantine Books....
(1989) - The SquadThe SquadThe Squad is a Vietnam War novel by David Sherman published in 1990 by the Ivy Book imprint of Ballantine Books....
(1990)
The StarFist series (with Dan Cragg)
- First to Fight, (1997)
- School of FireSchool of FireThe second novel of the military science fiction StarFist Saga, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. In this installment, the men of 34th FIST , are deployed to help the rulers of Wanderjahr put down a rebellion that threatens the planet's political and economic stability...
, (1998) - Steel GauntletSteel GauntletSteel Gauntlet is the third novel of the military science fiction StarFist Saga, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg.In Steel Gauntlet, St. Cyr, a maniacal sadist who has reinvented the doctrine of armored warfare has taken control of the planet Diamunde, and 34th FIST is deployed as part of a...
, (1999) - Blood ContactBlood ContactBlood Contact is the fourth novel of the military science fiction StarFist Saga, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. This book in the series follows Gunnery Sergeant Bass and the rest of 3rd Platoon, Company L, 34th FIST as they investigate a missing scientific team on the planet Society 437...
, (1999) - TechnoKillTechnoKillTechnoKill is the fifth novel of the military science fiction StarFist Saga, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. This book in the series once again follows 3rd Platoon, Company L, 34th FIST under Gunnery Sergeant Bass. This time they head to an alien planet to hatch open a nefarious conspiracy...
, (2000) - HangfireHangfireHangfire is the sixth novel of the military science fiction StarFist Saga, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. This installment of Starfist contains three significant and independent plots, one involving members of third platoon, Company L, and the second involves Brigadier Sturgeon, the FIST...
, (2000) - Kingdom's SwordsKingdom's SwordsThis is the seventh novel of the military science fiction StarFist Saga, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg.-Overview:In the previous book, Hangfire, it was related that the Skinks have invaded the planet Kingdom...
, (2002) - Kingdom's FuryKingdom's FuryThe eighth novel of the military science fiction StarFist Saga, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg.This is the second Starfist book taking place largely on the planet called Kingdom, a world with a crazy-quilt religious theocracy involving various flavors of Christians, Muslims, and others...
, (2003) - Lazarus RisingLazarus RisingLazarus Rising is the ninth novel of the military science fiction StarFist Saga, written by David Sherman and Dan Cragg.-Plot summary:This novel continues the situation on the planet Kingdom from the previous novel, Kingdom's Fury...
, (2003) - A World of HurtA World of HurtA World of Hurt, a science fiction novel by David Sherman and Dan Cragg, is the tenth novel in their StarFist series.A civilian analyst in the Confederation of Human Worlds' Development Control Division of the Department of Colonial Development, Population Control, and Xenobiological Studies...
, (2004) - FlashfireFlashfireFlashfire is a science fiction novel by David Sherman and Dan Cragg published in 2006. It is set in the 25th Century in Sherman and Cragg's StarFist series.-Plot summary:...
, (2006) - FirestormFirestorm (novel)Firestorm is a science fiction novel by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. It is set in the 25th Century in Sherman and Cragg's StarFist saga. "Firestorm more concludes the Ravenette campaign for the 34th fist and the Force Recon .-Reception:Publishers Weekly in their review said...
, (2007) - Wings of HellWings of HellWings of Hell is a science fiction novel by David Sherman and Dan Cragg; it was released on December 30, 2008. It is set in the 25th Century in Sherman and Cragg's StarFist Saga....
, (2008) - Double Jeopardy, (2009)
The StarFist: Force Recon Saga (with Dan Cragg)
- BackshotBackshot (novel)Backshot is a science fiction novel by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. It is set in the 25th Century and is the first book in Sherman and Cragg's StarFist: Force Recon series. It was released on July 26, 2005....
, 2005 - PointBlankPointBlank (novel)Pointblank is a science fiction novel by David Sherman and Dan Cragg. It is set in the 25th Century in Sherman and Cragg's StarFist: Force Recon series. Pointblank is the second book in the series after Backshot. It was published on August 29, 2006....
, 2006 - Recoil, 2008
The DemonTech Saga
- OnslaughtOnslaught (novel)Onslaught is a military fantasy novel by David Sherman. It is set in a world where demons may be tamed and used to serve somewhat in the sense of technology. It is the first novel in Sherman's DemonTech series....
(2002) - Rally PointRally PointRally Point is a military fantasy novel by David Sherman. It is set in a world where demons may be tamed and used to serve somewhat in the sense of technology. It is the second novel in Sherman's DemonTech series.-The Novels of the DemonTech Series:...
(2003) - Gulf RunGulf RunGulf Run is a military fantasy novel by David Sherman. It is set in a world where demons may be tamed and used to serve somewhat in the sense of technology. It is the third novel in Sherman's DemonTech series.-The Novels of the DemonTech Series:...
(2004)