{"id":2339,"date":"2020-08-02T12:40:31","date_gmt":"2020-08-02T17:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greatriver.com\/wordpress\/?p=2339"},"modified":"2020-08-02T12:40:32","modified_gmt":"2020-08-02T17:40:32","slug":"sullivan-brothers-waterloo-ia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.greatriver.com\/wordpress\/sullivan-brothers-waterloo-ia\/","title":{"rendered":"Sullivan Brothers, Waterloo, IA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The story of Iowa’s five Sullivan brothers is one I have been meaning to share for a long time! I was contacted by family members when I did the last update to Volume 2 of DISCOVER! America’s Great River Road. The Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum<\/strong> in Waterloo, Iowa, has since taken it\u00a0 on as a way to celebrate ALL Iowa Veterans.<\/div>\n
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Looking for a great historic get-away? This might be a meaningful destination for you!

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Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, Waterloo, Iowa<\/h2>\n

Waterloo’s five Sullivan Brothers gained national attention when they enlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor and insisted they be allowed to “stick together” while in the service. After initially refusing, the Navy granted their request. All five brothers were lost when their ship, the USS Juneau<\/em>, was torpedoed on November 13, 1942, following the Battle of Guadalcanal. This sacrifice remains the largest single loss for a family in American military history.<\/p>\n

“As Commander-in-Chief, I want you to know that the entire nation shares your sorrow … 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.”
\u2014 President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Thomas and Aleta Sullivan,\u00a0January 13, 1943<\/em><\/p>\n

The Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum<\/a> honors the service and sacrifice of all Iowa \"Grout<\/a>veterans from the Civil War to present. Step into their stories through traditional exhibits, interactive activities and an electronic Wall of Honor. The Museum consists of over 35 interactive exhibits. Interviews collected via the\u00a0Voices of Iowa Oral History Project<\/em>\u00a0total over 1,500<\/p>\n

HOME<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0\u00a0SITES & EXHIBITS<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0SULLIVAN BROTHERS IOWA VETERANS MUSEUM<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Story of the Sullivan Brothers and Their Impact on Navy Policy…<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sullivans enlisted in the US Navy<\/a>\u00a0on January 3, 1942, with the stipulation that they serve together. The Navy had a policy of separating siblings, but this was not strictly enforced. George and Frank had served in the Navy before, but their brothers had not. All five were assigned to the\u00a0light cruiser<\/a>\u00a0USS\u00a0Juneau<\/i><\/a>. (all links provided by Wickipedia).<\/p>\n

\u00a0Early in the morning of November 13, 1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal<\/a>, the\u00a0Juneau<\/i>\u00a0was struck by a Japanese\u00a0torpedo<\/a>\u00a0and forced to withdraw. Later that day, as it was leaving the Solomon Islands’ area for the\u00a0Allied<\/a>\u00a0rear-area base at\u00a0Espiritu Santo<\/a>\u00a0with other surviving US warships from battle, the\u00a0Juneau<\/i>\u00a0was struck again, this time by a torpedo from\u00a0Japanese submarine\u00a0I-26<\/i><\/a>. The torpedo likely hit the thinly armored light cruiser at or near the ammunition magazines and the ship exploded and quickly sank.<\/p>\n

Captain\u00a0Gilbert C. Hoover<\/a>, commanding officer of the light cruiser\u00a0USS\u00a0Helena<\/i><\/a>\u00a0and senior officer present in the battle-damaged US task force, was skeptical that anyone had survived the sinking of the\u00a0Juneau<\/i>\u00a0and believed it would be reckless to look for survivors, thereby exposing his wounded ships to a still-lurking Japanese submarine. Therefore, he ordered his ships to continue on towards Espiritu Santo.\u00a0Helena<\/i>\u00a0signaled a nearby US\u00a0B-17 bomber<\/a>\u00a0on patrol to notify Allied headquarters to send aircraft or ships to search for survivors.<\/p>\n

But in fact, approximately 100 of\u00a0Juneau<\/i>‘s crew had survived the torpedo attack and the sinking of their ship and were left in the water. The B-17 bomber crew, under orders not to break radio silence, did not pass the message about searching for survivors to their headquarters until they had landed several hours later. The crew’s report of the location of possible survivors was mixed in with other pending paperwork actions and went unnoticed for several days. It was not until days later that headquarters staff realized that a search had never been mounted and belatedly ordered aircraft to begin searching the area. In the meantime,\u00a0Juneau’s<\/i>\u00a0survivors, many of whom were seriously wounded, were exposed to the elements, hunger, thirst, and repeated shark attacks.<\/p>\n

Eight days after the sinking, ten survivors were found by a\u00a0PBY Catalina<\/a>\u00a0search aircraft and retrieved from the water. The survivors reported that Frank, Joe and Matt died instantly, Al drowned the next day, and George survived for four or five days,[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0before suffering from delirium as a result of\u00a0hypernatremia<\/a>\u00a0(though some sources describe him being “driven insane with grief” at the loss of his brothers); he went over the side of the raft he occupied. He was never seen or heard from again.<\/p>\n

Security required that the Navy not reveal the loss of\u00a0Juneau<\/i>\u00a0or the other ships so as not to provide information to the enemy. Letters from the Sullivan sons stopped arriving at the home and the parents grew worried, which prompted Alleta Sullivan to write to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in January 1943, citing rumors that survivors of the task force claimed that all five brothers were killed in action.[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

This letter was answered by President\u00a0Franklin D. Roosevelt<\/a>\u00a0on January 13, 1943, who acknowledged that the Sullivans were missing in action, but by then the parents were already informed of their fate, having learned of their deaths on January 12.[2]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0That morning, the boys’ father, Tom, was preparing for work when three men in uniform \u2013 a\u00a0lieutenant commander<\/a>, a doctor and a\u00a0chief petty officer<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 approached his door. “I have some news for you about your boys,” the naval officer said. “Which one?” asked Tom. “I’m sorry,” the officer replied. “All five.”[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

The brothers left a sister, Genevieve (1917\u20131975). Al was survived by his wife Katherine Mary and son Jimmy. Joe left a fianc\u00e9e named Margaret Jaros, while Matt left behind a fianc\u00e9e named Beatrice Imperato.[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0The “Fighting Sullivan Brothers” became national heroes. President Roosevelt sent a letter of condolence to their parents.\u00a0Pope Pius XII<\/a>\u00a0sent a silver religious medal and rosary with his message of regret. The Iowa Senate and House adopted a formal resolution of tribute to the Sullivan brothers.<\/p>\n

Tom and Alleta Sullivan made speaking appearances at war plants and shipyards on behalf of the war effort.[4]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Later, Alleta participated in the launching of a\u00a0destroyer<\/a>USS\u00a0The Sullivans<\/i><\/a>, named after her sons.[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

On Saturday, March 17, 2018 the wreckage of the USS Juneau was discovered by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen off the coast of the Solomon Islands.[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

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