Metairie, LA He has no memories of them except the stories passed on by his grandparents, the late Thomas and Alleta Sullivan, and the friends and neighbors who knew the brothers growing up in Waterloo. The other two (George and Albert) survived the destruction of the ship but died in the water days later. Kelly Sullivan said that family members and those close to Katherine McFarland will hold a celebration of her life at the Sullivan Brothers Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1623 at 1406 Commercial Street in Waterloo, a fitting tribute for a legacy that resonates throughout our region. Through the 1930s, the family lived a stones throw north of the black neighborhood. So far during the Trump years, some of those walls or fences have been upgraded, but no barrier extensions have been undertaken. Denton, TX Oh, yeah, Jim said, unable to say much more. By Cleve R. Wootson Jr. March 20, 2018 at 3:54 p.m. EDT. Copyright 2022. When South Pacific Area commander Adm. William F. Halsey learned what had happened, he immediately stripped Capt. In 1942 five brothers made a sacrifice that showed just how much a family could give to the war effort.PATRIOTIC FERVORJanuary 3, 1942: After ringing in the New Year, the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, enlisted in the Navy. In September 1940, as Nazi bombs rained down on London during the Blitz, America began the first-ever peacetime conscription and enacted the Selective Training and Service Act. In 1937, George and Frank enlisted in the peacetime Navy, serving together for four years; when they returned home in May 1941 they found work with their brothers at the local meatpacking plant. The Navy had other goals as well. This website and any references to products or services are provided "as is" without any warranty or implied term of any kind. And the people Ive met along the way, especially me being sponsor of the ship, I call my Navy family, Kelly said. I hated to bother you, but it has worried me so that I wanted to know if it was true. By 1940 and 1941, the brothers had grown up to be habitus of saloons and dance halls, drinking and brawling. The surviving family members and descendants of George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert Sullivan know that so well. After listening to FDR declare war and losing friends to the war effort, all five sons from the Sullivan family from Waterloo, Iowa, enlisted in the U.S. Navy. By the time rescuers finally made their way to the scene only about 10 of some 100 hundred initial survivors were still alive. The B-17 radioed the commander of the flotilla, Capt. . That happened right away, after the boys were killed.. Somehow, meeting these people who are actually strangers, helps fills the void of not having a big Irish Catholic family.. But, with its lightly armored hull and deck, it could be a deathtrap if called upon to attack surface vessels, or if put in their way. Kept in line by strict but caring parents and their church, the children grew up, proper and white-picket-fence, their lives defined by little adventures, minor scrapes, and a growing fraternal bond. Tributes continued into the 21st century. Reproduction or distribution of the information contained in this website or linked to this website without written permission is prohibited. They were burned from the fire of the blowup, covered with thick oil, belching salt water. The Sullivan brothers came from a blue-collar Irish Catholic family in Waterloo, Iowa. From George, the oldest, to Al, the youngest; there was only a 7 year age difference. It was Zook, while recuperating at a Chicago naval hospital, who wrote Thomas and Alleta Sullivan that "all hope is gone of your boys being found alive." . On a recent trip she met many family members of sailors lost on the Juneau. Nonetheless, every happy moment in the movie foreshadowed what all Americans knew was in store. The Sullivan family in Waterloo received word in January 1943 that the five brothers were missing. Pictured in front, from left, are Jim Sullivan, son of Albert Sullivan, youngest of the brothers; and Jims daughter Kelly Sullivan; and back row, from left, Murray and Tom Davidson, sons of Genevieve Sullivan Davidson, the sister of the five brothers. After America entered the war the oldest, Edward, and youngest, Frederick, known as Fritz to his friends, joined up in November 1942. It was American myth-making at its finest, serving to distract a grieving family from its loss, misdirect attention from a series of Navy bungles, and help accustom a nation to the idea of sacrifice for the greater good. Kelly said she had a similar moment while portraying her late aunt Genevieve during a Grout Museum District Strolling With the Spirits cemetery walk, a guided tour in which individuals portray prominent deceased local residents. Copyright 2017. The feds have been negotiating with some landowners on compensation for the taking of their land. The Sullivan brothers on board USSJuneau(CL-52) during her commissioning ceremonies at the New York Navy Yard, 14 February 1942. While the commemorations can be difficult, they do, at the same time, offer some comfort that the brothers sacrifice is remembered across the generations. Gerald's father, John R.A. Sullivan, was a. The aircraft circled again to drop supplies, yet for several days the Navy did nothing to assist the sailors. If they can squeeze out a 5% margin, the Sullivans could net $20 million or so getting Trumps wall startedand with a lot of miles yet to be contracted. Our national presence and our hands-on team of project executives, managers, superintendents and construction professionals allow. A torpedo strike hit the damaged cruiser and detonated her magazines. This story was originally published in the May/June 2017 issue of World War II magazine. The Sullivans, natives of Waterloo, Iowa, were the sons of Thomas (1883-1965) and Alleta Sullivan (1895-1972). Photos: Iowa's famous . Researchers aboard Paul G. Allen's R/V Petrel have discovered the World War II shipwreck USS Juneau, known for five brothers who were among its many fallen s. A landscaping enterprise he operated with his 8-year-old twin brothers, William and John, he went on to build a network of businesses with his siblings. We are headquartered in Galveston, Texas, with offices throughout the United States and Caribbean Basin. Trivia. She is currently a memorial at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in New York. Their fearful parents agreed. Pat Kinney of the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier reported, on Saturday, that Katherine Sullivan later remarried Dean McFarland, a local World War II veteran and president of the United Auto Workers Local 838, and who proceeded her in death in 1986. Of his parents' 12 children, Stan and two brothers remain. Hollywood showed Tom and Alleta, honest and hard-working, raising their children in a typical American community. Even if one of them had come home.. More about the Sullivan family George Thomas, 27; Francis "Frank" Henry, 26; Joseph "Joe" Eugene 24; Madison "Matt" Abel, 23; and Albert "Al" Leo were the five sons of Thomas and Alleta and the. Her great-grandfather Thomas Sullivan, at wife Alletas urging, still reported for work at his job with the Illinois Central Railroad, which was hauling war supplies at the time. Naval History and Heritage Command). Naval Academy: Images of History, The U.S. The former was the first American navy vessel ever to be named after more than one person. The USS Juneau (CL-52) was a United States Navy Atlanta-class light cruiser that was sunk by enemy action at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942. Todd Sullivan started his first business in Galveston, TX, at the age of 13. WATERLOO You dont need to tell any member of the Sullivan family that life is to be cherished. A Fletcher-class destroyer ship was named in honor of all five brothers, USS The Sullivans. At Des Moines, Iowa, on 3 January 1942, George and Francis, accompanied by their younger brothers Joseph, Madison, and Albert, reenlisted to avenge the loss of Seaman 1st Class William V. Ball, a friend, who was killed while serving on the battleship USSArizona(BB-39) during the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor. Murray Davidson said he frequently received information requests about the brothers through the Waterloo Public Library, where he is a regular patron. Due to the classified nature of their mission, the USS Juneau was keeping radio silence even before she was attacked and it was no different once the ship has sustained damages. She repeated the performance several times that day. It is the only naval ship to be named after more than one person and the ships motto is We stick together., The Truly Heartbreaking Story of the 5 Sullivan Brothers. The film The Fighting Sullivans was made, with a bit of embellishment, to tell their story in 1944. George and Francis Sullivanthe two eldestenlisted in the U.S. Navy on 11 May 1937, and served on the destroyer USSHovey(DD-208) into June 1941. (U.S. Kellys great-grandmother Alleta was that ships sponsor, just as Kelly is of the current vessel. Plenty of Republicans find this distasteful; a new bill sponsored by Reprersentative Justin Amash (R.-Ill.) would push back on federal eminent domain abuse. The family of five brothers, and one sister (Genevieve), grew up in Waterloo, Iowa. One often-repeated story claimed that the boys filched gasoline to fuel their vehicles, and stole and refurbished bikes. The project also involves the installation of cameras, sensors and building of a patrol road along the levee wall. James Henry Sullivan October 15, 1954 - January 02, 2020 James Henry "Hank" Sullivan, 65, of Bristol, TN, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, January 2nd, 2020. The Courier headlined: Eager Audiences Wait in Waterloo. The paper talked about Iowas Own Heroic Family and The Name thats on the Lips of the Nation, urging: See the Picture that all Waterloo will be proud to be a part of.. Gilbert Hoover of the light cruiser Helena, who continued onward perhaps misunderstanding; perhaps not wanting to risk more men. . Murray and Tom Davidson, 68 and 70, respectively, are the sons of Genevieve Sullivan, the brothers sister and only surviving sibling, who died in the 1970s. Sullivan Brothers Builders: Honoring the Past, Building the Future. Naval History and Heritage Command photograph, NH 52362. Fleet ocean tug Tawasa (ATF-92) departs Subic Bay, Philippines, in 1973 for the Haiphong, North Vietnam area, to take part in Operation End Sweep, which was designed to clear mines from North Vietnamese waters. (Naval History and Heritage Command). The two eldest, George and Frank,. Butterfliesare low on the priority list. A total of 687 men, including the . USS Juneau (CL-52) and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, DANFS - Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Permitting Policy and Resource Management, The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: 20 Years Later, "Ex Scientia Tridens": The U.S. Al and Katherine Sullivan did have a son, Jim, who is now retired and living in Waterloo. In March 1942, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox asked Mrs. Sullivan to sponsor a ship; she agreed to christen a fleet tug, Tawasa. If anything has happened to my five sons, I will still christen the ship as it was their wish that I do so. Since last summer SLSCOhas been building this kind of wall in a replacement project near San Diego stretching from the Pacific Ocean 14 miles inland. Its a lesson they have lived with. In 1940, Katherine married Albert Sullivan, the union of two Waterloo teenagers who grew up on different sides of the city. Executive Director Marianna Wright laments that the fence will bisect their 100 acres, cutting off its southern acreage closest to the river. Being an only child (or an only son) automatically exempts you from military service in the U.S. The launching ceremonies at Federal Shipbuilding Company, Kearny New Jersey, on 25 October 1941 of the light cruiser Juneau. Sometimes Dad gets a little weepy.. On Nov. 13, 1942, Waterloo's five Sullivan brothers George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert died aboard the USS Juneau when the ship was torpedoed and sunk off Guadalcanal during World War II. "The five Sullivan brothers 'missing in action' off the Solomons. Naval authorities encouraged the parents to come to Washington, where First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Vice President Henry A. Wallace met with the parents. Juneau, sank during the Battle of Guadalcanal during WWII. He is preceded in death by his parents, Halley Sullivan and Ernestine Canter; brothers, Wayne Sullivan and Robert Sullivan; sisters, Paulette Moore and. New York, NY McLean, VA. Our team stands ready to help with your next project. And what of the butterflies? The following year, the film Saving Private Ryan mentioned the deaths in an inspiring scene. For Oil And Gas Companies, COVID-19 Considerations Know No Borders, The Mood In U.S. Shale Slowly Shifts To One Of Cautious Optimism About The Future, OPEC+ Extension Sets Up Very Favorable Oil Price Conditions For The Rest Of 2020, with support of senators Obama, Clinton, Schumer and Biden. What had happened to the Juneau had also shocked Navy officers, who wanted to mourn with the parents. February 28, 1944 ~ November 22, 2019 (age 75) Nelson Decatur Newman, 75 of Talbott, TN, passed into the arms of Jesus on November 22, 2019. For more information, please contact 713.880.9888 or [email protected]. Father of the five Sullivan brothers who died in World War II Naval action in the South Pacific. Job Details. The Fighting Sullivans: Directed by Lloyd Bacon. With its specialized array of antiaircraft guns, the speedy Atlanta-class light cruiser could protect naval forces from enemy planes. 3 of the Sullivan brothers were killed almost instantly (Francis, Joseph and Madison). The Sullivan brothers lived an average middle-class life in Waterloo, Iowa, as their parents, Thomas and Alleta Sullivan, were fortunate to have paying jobs during the Great Depression. Five brothers from Waterloo, IowaAlbert, Francis, George, Joseph, and Madison Sullivanall served as shipmates on the USS Juneau.Normal protocol during wartime required siblings be assigned to different units to prevent one family from having to endure such a hardship should tragedy strike. When it comes to that barrier between the U.S. and Mexico,what SLSCO is not going to build are the solid, monolithic slab prototypes that Trump commissioned as a beauty pageant for his vision of a big, beautiful wall. The boys had always been together at play and at school in the Adams Street-Logan Avenue neighborhood of Waterloo. She recalls, in sixth- or seventh-grade, weeping when the "Star-Spangled Banner" played at sporting events and feeling out of place. Juneau, and in late 1942 sailed to the Solomon Islands to support the invasion of Guadalcanal. U.S. had the task of drafting the letter informing the parents of the Sullivan brothers that their five boys had been lost at sea, the . They are going to seize this land and they are going to build this wall and theres nothing we can do to stop them, says Wright, who has been informed by the feds that where the wall crosses the butterflyrefuge, SLSCO will be installing a secure door, accessible via numeric keypad. The Navy had a policy of separating siblings, but this policy was not always strictly enforced and the 5 brothers were all assigned to the USS Juneau in January of 1942. Sullivan Land Services, was founded in 1995 by John, Billy and Todd Sullivanbrothers from Galveston, Texas. The film studio set March 9, 1944, as the date for the local premiere at Waterloos 1,800-seat Paramount Theatre. Commemorative festivities supplemented the Waterloo opening. The seven Sullivan Children, in order of birth: George Thomas, December 1914 They did,. President Ronald Reagan reflected on the special burden of grief borne by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa, in a 1987 address. The death of the brothers was the biggest blow to any one family in U.S. wartime history. Late in October 1942, she took part in theBattle of the Santa Cruz Islandsand, on 12 November fought offGuadalcanal. The resulting explosion tore her apart, and she went down in just 42 seconds. Brielle, NJ While the rest of the nation could embrace the family as the symbols that they had become, inside Waterloo the Sullivans remained all-too-real people. The following is an article from the book Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Salutes the Armed Forces. The Navys Woodward and members of his staff persuaded Tom and Alleta to sign a contract that eventually had 20th Century Fox produce The Sullivans quickly re-released as The Fighting Sullivans., The film, which opened in February 1944, told in the words of its producer the wonderful story of the Sullivans and paid tribute to an American family and their devotion and loyalty..