2018.038.010 [Envelope]

These five envelopes contain Christmas cards sent to the five Sullivan brothers: George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert, in December 1942. The five Sullivan brothers were part of an Irish working class family who grew up in Waterloo, Iowa, during the Great Depression. Family was important to the Sullivan's and they were proud of their motto "we stick together." After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the brothers enlisted in the United States Navy with the understanding that they would serve together. After some hesitation, the Navy agreed and the Sullivans were assigned to the USS Juneau in February 1942. The ship was damaged at the naval battle at Guadalcanal and was destroyed on November 13, 1942, while on the way to be repaired. Each of the Sullivan brothers lost their lives on this day, and only ten sailors out of the 700 man crew survived. This marked the largest single-family combat loss in United States military history. While the Sullivan brothers passed away on November 13, 1942, their family was not notified right away. Charles and Nellie Turner, who were friends of the family and Waterloo residents, sent each of the brothers a Christmas card in December; however, the envelopes were never opened and were later returned to the Turners undelivered. The return of these envelopes served as one of the first clues as to what happened to the Sullivan brothers. The Sullivan family was officially notified about what happened to the brothers on January 11, 1943. Content can be used with the following standards: SS-US 9-12.23 Iowans Influence US History and SS-WH 9-12.26 Iowans Influence World History in a lesson on Iowan soldiers in WWII and the event that caused the largest single-family loss in American military history. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions.