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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Posted on 02/05/2003 5:37:18 AM PST by SAMWolf
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are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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In early November 1942, as the struggle for control of Guadalcanal remained undecided, both the Allies and the Japanese were desperately trying to reinforce the island with troops, food, and ammunition while trying to prevent the other side from doing the same. Although two American convoys arrived safely on 11 and 12 November, they had only partially unloaded their cargoes when Magic (intercepted Japanese messages) intelligence and reconnaissance reports indicated strong Japanese naval forces were approaching the island on a shore bombardment mission. As the American transports steamed eastwards for safety, an American force of five cruisers and eight destroyers, under command of Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan took up station in the strait between Guadalcanal and Florida Island, called "Ironbottom Sound" owing to the many sunken ships littering the sea floor from the naval battles.  Within minutes, the Japanese destroyer Akatsuki and the American cruiser USS Atlanta lay dead in the water, victims of shell and torpedo hits. Meanwhile, the two Japanese battleships, worried that American torpedo-armed destroyers were too close for comfort, tried to turn away. Still, the four American destroyers in lead fired guns and torpedoes at Hiei, the nearest Japanese battleship, damaging her superstructure with numerous shell hits. Two of the American destroyers USS Cushing and USS Laffey were mortally wounded after a brief fire fight, with Laffey exploding and sinking shortly thereafter. The engagement turned against the American task force when three Japanese destroyers conducted a torpedo attack from the northern flank. Torpedo hits damaged cruiser USS Portland and sank destroyer USS Barton. Gunfire from these and other Japanese warships turned USS Monssen into a smoking wreck and damaged both cruiser USS San Francisco and destroyer USS Aaron Ward. In return, by the time the fifteen-minute battle ended, destroyer Yudachi was a burning hulk and battleship Hiei was left crippled, steering an erratic course to the northwest. By the following afternoon, owing to scuttling charges or damage, Atlanta, Cushing, and Monssen had all sunk. Two Japanese ships soon joined them when Yudachi exploded under shell fire from Portland, and Hiei went under following bomb and torpedo hits delivered by Navy and Marine aircraft.  The light cruiser Juneau (CL-52), in which the five Sullivan brothers were surviving, suffered a different fate. Just a few minutes into the battle, Juneau was hit by a Japanese torpedo on the port side near the forward fire room. The shock wave from the explosion buckled the deck, shattered the fire control computers, and knocked out power. The cruiser limped away from the battle, down by the bow and struggling to maintain 18 knots. She rejoined the surviving American warships at dawn on 13 November and zig-zagged to the southeast in company with two other cruisers and three destroyers. About an hour before noon, the task force crossed paths with Japanese submarine I-26. At 1101, the submarine fired a three torpedoes at San Francisco. None hit that cruiser, but one passed beyond and struck Juneau on the port side very near the previous hit. The ensuing magazine explosion blew the light cruiser in half, killing most of the crew. A message from USS Helena to a nearby B-17 search plane reported that Juneau was lost at latitude 10 degrees South and longitude 161 degrees East and that survivors were in the water. The sinking location was subsequently modified to 10 degrees South and 161 degrees East. Owing to the risk of another submarine attack and because the sections of Juneau sank in only a few minutes, the American task force did not stay to check for survivors. However, approximately 115 of Juneau's crew survived the explosion. But, as Helena's message unfortunately did not reach Noumea and there remained uncertainty about the number of Japanese ships in the area, rescue efforts did not begin for several days. Exposure, exhaustion, and shark attacks whittled down the survivors and only ten men were rescued from the water eight days after the sinking. In the aftermath of Juneau's loss, the Navy notified Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa, that all five of their sons were missing in action. Two of the brothers had served previous four-year enlistments in the Navy and so, when all five brothers enlisted together on 3 January 1942, the Navy was the obvious choice. They had also insisted on serving together on the same ship. Although the accepted Navy policy was to separate family members, the brothers had persisted and their request was approved. It was later learned, through survivors' accounts, that four of the brothers died in the initial explosion. The fifth, George Thomas, despite being wounded the night before, made it onto a raft where he survived for five days before succumbing either to wounds and exhaustion or a shark attack.  The brothers received the Purple Heart Medal posthumously and were entitled to the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four engagement stars and the World War II Victory Medal. They had also earned the Good Conduct Medal. They were survived by their parents, Mr. Thomas F. Sullivan and Mrs. Alleta Sullivan, a sister, Genevieve Sullivan, and by Albert Leo Sullivan's wife, Katherine Mary Sullivan. Their son, James Thomas, was twenty-two months old at the time of his father's death. Francis Henry Sullivan George Thomas Sullivan Joseph Eugene Sullivan Madison Abel Sullivan
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Defense officials identified today the Army National Guard soldier killed in Qatar Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003. Sgt Michael C. Barry, 29, of Overland Park, Kansas, died as a result of injuries sustained while a passenger in a vehicle that was struck by another vehicle in Doha, Qatar. The incident is under investigation.
Barry was assigned to the 205th Medical Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard, Kansas City, Mo.
General "Black Jack" Pershing was born September 13th, 1860 near Laclede, MS., Died July 5th, 1948 in Washington, D.C.
1891 Professor of Military Science and Tactics University of Nebraska.....
1898 Serves in the Spanish-American War
1901 Awarded rank of Captain
1906 Promoted to rank of Brigadier General
1909 Military Governor of Moro Province, Philippines
1916 Made Major General 1919 Promoted to General of the Armies
1921 Appointed Chief of Staff
1924 Retires from active duty Education West Point.
Just Before World War One -- there were a number of terrorist attacks on the United States by; you guessed it, Muslim extremists. So, General Pershing captured 50 terrorists and had them tied to posts execution style.
One important thing to note beforehand is that Muslims detest pork, because they believe pigs are filthy animals. Some of them simply refuse to eat it, while others won't even touch pigs at all, nor any of their by-products. To them, eating or touching a pig, its meat, its blood, etc., is to be instantly barred from paradise and doomed to hell.
He then had his men bring in two pigs and slaughter them in front of the, now horrified, terrorists.
The soldiers then soaked their bullets in the pigs blood, and proceeded to execute 49 of the terrorists by firing squad. The soldiers then dug a big hole, dumped in the terrorist's bodies and covered them in pig blood, entrails, etc. They let the 50th man go.
And for the next forty-two years, there was not a single Muslim extremist attack anywhere in the world.
Flagman says to tell you hey, and "Let's Roll!"
No doubt about it!
I would think that painting them "sea blue" would make more sence.
It is a terribly moving story, requiring nothing additional.
It is excellent that we have USS The Sullivans as their bravery and sacrifice are a part of the Republic from which the whole can be extrapolated.
I'll never forget the father looking at his pocket watch when the train went past (without his sons).
My great-uncle had a railroad watch after a life with the P.R.R.
This film data appears:
The (Fighting) Sullivans
1944, 112 mins., Black and White, mono sound, released by 20th Century Fox
Produced by Sam Jaffe and Robert Kane for 20th Century Fox and Realart Pictures Inc.
Distributed by Crystal Pictures, Inc.
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Written by Mary C. McCall Jr., based on the true story by Edward Doherty and Jules Schermer
Cinematography by Lucien N. Andriot
Music by Cyril J. Mockridge and Alfred Newman
Costume Design by René Hubert
Film Editing by Louis R. Loeffler
Cast:
Anne Baxter .... Katherine Mary Sullivan
Thomas Mitchell .... Mr. Sullivan
Selena Royle .... Mrs. Sullivan
Edward Ryan .... Al
John Campbell .... Frank
James Cardwell .... George
John Alvin .... Matt
George Offerman .... Joe
Roy Roberts .... Father Francis
Ward Bond .... Lieutenant
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