MOORHEAD — Cleaning out the house of a parent or grandparent after they die is emotional, even exhausting, but it can often reveal facets of loved ones' lives that would otherwise be forgotten.

Moorhead resident Dave Sherman, like many children of World War II veterans, never knew much about his father's time in the service. His dad, William Sherman of Fargo, went into the Army at age 18 and saw combat in the Pacific Ocean.

"It was vicious, it was hand to hand, I can't imagine the dreams that people would have after that, just because of the things they saw," the younger Sherman said about the battle at Guadalcanal on the Solomon Islands in the Pacific near Papua New Guinea.

Guadalcanal was described as one of the most brutal, longest battles of the war, but one the Allies eventually won.

When the elder Sherman returned home, he wrote about his experiences, but showed no one, said his son. Recently, with both parents gone, Sherman went to clean out the house and found his father's story.

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"'The most persistent rumor was we were going to Guadalcanal, as reinforcements to the 1st Marine Division," Sherman said as he read from his father's writings. "'My regiment was the first Army unit to see action in World War II.'"

Sherman was so intrigued by his father's story that he recorded himself reading it and produced a video to go along with the story.

"He never talked about it and to be able to find this sort of stuff, made it more real," Sherman said.

Sherman said finding the story has turned out to be a "great way" to honor his father and something that he can share with family and friends.

"I just like it, because it is my dad telling his story," Sherman said.