Written by Jenifer Chrisman on May 18, 2015.
Dear Mrs. Sullivan:
The knowledge that your five gallant sons are missing in action, against the enemy, inspired me to write you this personal message. I realize full well there is little I can say to assuage your grief.
As the Commander in Chief of the Army and the Navy, I want you to know that the entire nation shares your sorrow. I offer you the condolence and gratitude of our country. We, who remain to carry on the fight, must maintain the spirit in the knowledge that such sacrifice is not in vain. The Navy Department has informed me of the expressed desire of your sons; George Thomas, Francis Henry, Joseph Eugene, Madison Abel, and Albert Leo, to serve on the same ship. I am sure that we all take pride 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.
Last March, you, Mrs. Sullivan, were designated to sponsor a ship of the Navy in recognition of your patriotism and that of your sons. I am to understand that you are, now, even more determined to carry on as sponsorer. This evidence of unselfishness and courage serves as a real inspiration for me, as I am sure it will for all Americans. Such acts of fate and fortitude in the face of tragedy convince me of the indomitable spirit and will of our people.
I send you my deepest sympathy in your hour of trial and pray that in Almighty God you will find a comfort and help that only He can bring.
Very sincerely yours,
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The five Sullivan brothers, Albert Leo, Francis Henry, George Thomas, Joseph Eugene and Madison Abel, enlisted together on January 3, 1942. As two of the brothers had previously served a four-year enlistment with the Navy, their choice was obvious.
While there is no strict act or law forbidding siblings from serving together, then or now, “The Bureau considers that it is to the individual family interest that brothers not be put on the same ship in war time, as the loss of such a ship may result in the loss of two or more members of the family, which might be avoided if brothers are separated. An instance of this was the loss of three brothers on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, T. H. (Territory of Hawaii), on December 7, 1941. In view of the above, Commanding Officers will not forward requests for brothers to serve in the same ship or station.” However, as the brothers persisted in their desire to serve together, their request was finally approved.
The Sullivan brothers were assigned to the U.S.S. Juneau. The Juneau was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-26 in the Pacific on June 13, 1942. Only 10 crew members survived the eight grueling days before they were rescued. The survivor’s accounts vary, but George Thomas, despite his wounds, survived for five days after making it onto a raft. Of the other four, they died either in the initial explosions or succumbed within the first day.
Although deeply concerned as letters from their sons had stopped arriving, the family was not informed of their deaths until early 1943. The Sullivan brothers were survived by their parents, Thomas and Alleta, their sister, Genevieve, and Albert Leo’s wife, Katherine Mary, and their son twenty-two month old son, James Thomas.
Despite the loss of all but one of their children, Thomas and Alleta Sullivan became important figures in the war effort, making speaking appearances at ship yards and war plants. They were often accompanied by their daughter before she joined the WAVES.
The Sullivan brothers received numerous awards and medals, including two naval ships named after them, USS The Sullivans (DD 537) and USS The Sullivans (DDG 68), and a religious silver medal and a rosary from Pope Pius XII.
No words can express the depth of sympathy with any meaning at such a profound loss. Nor can any who have not been there comprehend the indomitable will of a family who survives such a loss and yet continued to honor their sacrifice and the country they fought and died for.
As it says on the Sullivan Brothers poster, "They Did Their Part."
Sources:
