Body of Mass. paratrooper found in Afghanistan

BOSTON— The sister of a U.S. paratrooper whose body was recovered a week after he was reported missing while trying to recover airdropped supplies from a river in western Afghanistan said her brother’s values included “standing up for what you believe in.“

Meredith Sherman said in a statement Wednesday that she believes her brother, Spc. Benjamin Sherman, 21, of Plymouth, jumped into the river to save a comrade, and would have done so “because that’s what his heart told him to do.“

Sherman’s body was recovered Tueseday. He was born in New Bedford and spent the early part of his life in the city.  The family later moved to Plymouth.

Sherman’s wife, Patricia, remembered him as an “amazing guy” who loved sports and loud music.  She is pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Sherman was assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. He was reported missing Nov. 4.

Sherman was a 2006 graduate of Plymouth North High School.

Afghan and international forces are still searching for the second soldier.