On November 13th, 1942, a torpedo struck the USS-Juneau (CL-52), carrying a crew of 700 at the naval battle of Guadalcanal in the pacific theater during World War II. Aboard were the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa.

(The Sullivan brothers in 1942 (L-R) Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison, and George Sullivan —Source: U.S. Naval Historical Center/Wikimedia Commons)

The USS-Juneau, an already damaged light cruiser, exploded, killing most of the crew instantly. According to a post on the official blog of the Naval History and Heritage(NHHC), due to the circumstances of the battle, of the about 115 crew members that survived the initial blast, only ten were rescued from the water.

According to an article by Pat Kinney of The Courier, Lester Zook, one of the ten survivors, recalled George Sullivan on his liferaft after the ship exploded. He was calling out to his brothers to no avail. It is likely the four others had already drowned or succumbed to wounds from the explosion.

Another survivor referenced by Kinney, Al Heyn, said after a few days, George, who was delirious, swam beyond the life rafts and was taken by sharks. All five of the Sullivan brothers perished.

For me, it is paralyzing to think of what George might have been going through mentally. Adding to the trauma of the explosion itself was that all four of his brothers were dead. Having two siblings myself, it is heartwrenching to think about.

Enlisting Together

The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, that caused more than 2,000 American deaths inspired the Sullivan’s to enlist. Two of the brothers had previously served in the Navy, including George Sullivan, and he wrote to the Navy requesting special permission for all five of the brothers to serve together. In his letter, found in the National Archives, George wrote:

“We will make a team together that can’t be beat. I have qualified as a First Class Gun Captain before I left the Navy and I know I can make a first class team out of them. I thank you dearly. We had 5 buddies killed in Hawaii. Help us.”

The letter was sent the day after Christmas in 1941. By Valentine's day, all five Sullivan brothers set sail as crewmembers of the USS-Juneau (CL-52), and they never saw another Christmas in Waterloo, Iowa.

A Worried Mother

Mrs. Alleta Sullivan, the five Sullivan's mother, did not find out about her sons’ deaths until 1943. She wrote a letter, found in the National Archives, to the Bureau of Naval Personnel where she said:

“A mother from here came and told me she got a letter from her son and he heard my five sons were killed. It is all over town now, and I am so worried.”

In the 1940s, communication was not what it is today, but it still could not have been easy to go months without hearing from your kids only to hear a rumor like that. In her letter, Mrs. Sullivan went on to say:

“I hated to bother you, but it has worried me so that I wanted to know if it was true. Please tell me. It was hard to give five sons all at once to the Navy, but I am proud of my boys that they can serve and help protect their country.”

Mrs. Sullivan’s love and sense of pride for her children and country are evident in the letter. It’s moving to read, knowing that the boys had died in combat.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded personally in a letter addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan, found in the National Archives. President Roosevelt acknowledged that the boys are missing, but the implication is they are deceased. Roosevelt wrote:

“I offer you the condolences and gratitude of our country. We who remain to carry on the fight must maintain spirit, in the knowledge that such sacrifice is not in vain.”

Condolences and gratitude are all the President could offer. With the loss of any son or daughter, there is not much more that can be done. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan lost five sons in their 20s. The Sullivan brothers were survived by their mother, Alleta, father Tom, sister Genevieve, and Albert’s 21-month old son.

The Sullivan's Legacy

Albert’s son, Jim Sullivan, said in a 2017 interview he gave for Naval History and Heritage:

“To me they were heroes. I just felt like they did it, I wanted to do it. I can’t tell you why but I felt like that it was my calling to go into the Navy. My dad and my uncles were in the Navy so I felt that I should go to.”

Jim survived his time in the Navy and expressed that he does not consider himself a hero. He pointed out that any servicemember that lost their lives fighting for their country is a hero.

The Sullivans story remains an inspiration. The Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum in Waterloo was named in their honor, and the Navy has named two ships after them. The USS The Sullivans (DDG-537) patrolled the seas from 1943–1965, and the USS The Sullivans (DD-68) launched in 1995. Both ships fittingly had the motto “We Stick Together.”

Along with other American families that lost multiple children in WWII, the Sullivan family’s loss prompted the 1948 Sole Survivor Policy: DoD Instruction 1315.15 “Special Separation Policies for Survivorship.” This directive is designed to protect those who have lost family members from being drafted or serving in combat. It was most recently updated in 2017.

The story of the Sullivan brothers is special to me because I share their last name. Like them, my father’s family is from the midwest, and he is one of five siblings. I can’t help but think of my family and be thankful for the Sullivan brothers’ service and all those who died performing their military duties.

I agree with President Roosevelt’s sentiment expressed in his letter to Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan:

“I am sure that we all take heart in the knowledge that they fought side by side. As one of your sons wrote, ‘We will make a team together that can’t be beat.’ It is this spirit which in the end must triumph.”

(Source: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/Wikimedia Commons)

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