Teen's grand entrance at prom in a WWII tank is inspired by his late father

A teen made a dramatic entrance at prom in a WWII tank, driven by his late father's adventurous spirit.

Sherman Bynum's father, whose name was also Sherman, died in February 2023 after battling an infection related to Parkinson's Disease. "My father always inspired really crazy ideas in me," Bynum, 17, tells TODAY.com. "I'm a thrill-seeking guy and he was one to say, 'You've got this, go do it.'"

Although Bynum, a junior at Camas High School in Washington, did not have a prom date, he wanted to make a stylish entrance related to his love of jets and tanks. So he rented an M3A1 Stuart tank.

Although some of Bynum's peers thought his plan was "kind of crazy," his father did not. "My grandfather served in the Korean War alongside the (M4) Sherman tank, which my father and I were named after," he says. "This was a good way to honor him."

Bynum's classmate Sam Tetro was on board. Together, they connected with a private tank owner, who offered to drive the boys to prom, held 30 minutes from Camas at The Mark Building in Portland, Oregon. The boys raised money through GoFundMe to pay the $1,000 rental fee.

While Bynum didn't initially have a date for the prom, figuring, "Who needs girls when you have a tank?" At the last minute, he invited a girl named Mycha.

On April 29, Bynum and Tetro met a group of friends for a pre-prom dinner, then everyone drove to the prom venue, where the tank waited. The boys entered the tank (“She didn’t want to ruin her dress,” Bynum says of his date) making laps around the block in the vehicle.

Bynum and Tetro also arranged for a Portland street performer known as "The Unipiper" to pose for photos and play bagpipes upon their entrance.

"Being in the tank was unbelievable — a lot more cramped than you'd think," says Bynum. "A war machine is not designed for comfort."

Bynum wanted to show "being your weird self" is what prom — and youth — is all about.

Sherman Sr., who died one week after his son put his plan into motion, would have been proud. "I did this to continue his spirit of adventure and as something special to honor him with," says Bynum. "I knew he would be holding my hand, whether it's here or someplace else.

"My father would have liked to see this happen," says Bynum. "Since he almost made it, I needed to do this for him."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com