Putting a face on our past: the crew of USS The Sullivans join in a memorial celebration of the five Sullivan brothers in Trafrask, Ireland - George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert Sullivan remembered

All Hands, April, 2004 by Monica Darby, Leah Smith

Fallen comrades have inspired the building of monuments, naming of ships and declaration of holidays. Yet all too soon, these tributes become simple navigation markers in a trek across town. Names painted across haze-gray hulls become divorced from the deeds of heroic honorees. Even entire days set aside for remembrance quickly become reduced to mere days off from work or sales events at local malls. Sometimes it is only friends and family of those honored who recall the very real fathers and sons, mothers and daughters behind the homage.

The Sullivan brothers are one such faded memory of naval history that was recently made clearer for the crew of USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) when they were invited to join in the 400th anniversary celebration of the O'Sullivan-Beara clan in the town of Trafrask, Ireland--birthplace of the five ill-fated men.

On Jan. 3, 1942, George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert Sullivan enthusiastically started a new year by joining the U.S. Navy. Because of their strong fraternal bond, the men joined with the stipulation that they would be allowed to serve together. As such, the brothers were jointly assigned to the light cruiser USS Juneau (CL 52). In a tragic twist of fate fit only for the most epochal of war novels, all five brothers were lost at sea only a few months later, when Juneau was sunk by a Japanese torpedo in the waters of the South Pacific during the battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942.

Shortly after the Sullivan brothers' deaths, policy on siblings serving together on a naval vessel changed forever. Never again would one family endure such loss.

Sixty-two years later, the Sailors of The Sullivans arrived in the small harbor of Castletownbere, Ireland, to help commemorate the brothers' naval service. Not only did the crew of The Sullivans join in the festivities and give tours of their ship to the community, they also helped reunite new and old generations of Sullivans.

Kelly Ann Sullivan Loughren and John Sullivan, grandchildren of Albert, traveled aboard the ship to the event. "This is my first time in Ireland," said Loughren. "Where my ancestors came from is truly something special, and my family is so proud of our Irish roots. These coastal towns are where everything began for the five Sullivan brothers."

The community's memorial celebration spanned an entire week and invoked tales of not only George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert, but also their entire lineage.

Highlighting the week was a parade from the site of the brothers' ancestral home to a memorial plaque erected in their honor. Three bagpipers led the way, filling the air with their haunting chords as family, friends and Sailors stretched out behind them along the winding, pebblestrewn path and across emerald-colored hills.

When the festivities ended and the crew of The Sullivans weighed anchor, Sailors left with a closer connection to their namesakes. "It was an emotional ceremony," said CDR Richard Brown, commanding officer of The Sullivans. "This visit is something I will always remember and cherish."

For the crew of The Sullivans, the five Sullivan brothers are more than just a memory. They are more than the stone and steel that bears their surname, and they are more than the naval policy they changed--they are family.