It was on November 13, 1942, that the USS Juneau was sunk, when struck by a Japanese torpedo. Aboard that ship were five brothers named Sullivan. They had enlisted after Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
They were: George Thomas Sullivan, 27; Francis "Frank" Henry Sullivan, 26; Joseph "Joe" Eugene Sullivan, 24; Madison "Matt" Abel Sullivan, 23; and, Albert "Al" Leo Sullivan, 20.
Shortly after the tragedy of the sinking of ship, a black sedan pulled up at the Sullivan’s’ home in Waterloo, Iowa, on January 12, 1943, and three uniformed men got out—a lieutenant commander, a medical doctor, and a chief petty officer.
Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan were standing on the front lawn---holding each other very close. Picture that scene for a moment. You could cut the fear with a knife. "I have some news for you about your boys," the navy commander said. The silence was broken when the father, Thomas Sullivan, asked, “Which one?” “I’m sorry sir,” said the commander. “All Five.”
How does a nation express its undying gratitude for such a loss? The answer: It can’t. We merely blush with our own inadequacy in the presence of such sacrifice. There is a host of American heroes to whom this country owes a great debt of gratitude which it can never repay. They are, as Sir Winston Churchill so rightly called them, “our honored dead.”
And the story of the Five Fighting Sullivan’s lives on in our Nation’s history.
May I suggest Sunday, May 27, the day before Memorial Day 2018, that you give consideration to placing a table of remembrance in a prominent place in the sanctuary of your local church. Here is a ceremony that we call “Fallen Comrade Ceremony” (author unknown)
Narrator: While we are honored to have you all present on this Memorial Day Sunday May 27, 2-18, we would be remiss if we did not pause to remember those who could not be with us.
The table that you see is set for one, in a place of honor. This table is filled with symbolism.
The table cloth is white symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call of duty for our country. This table is our way of symbolizing the fact that members of our armed forces who are missed from our midst. They are commonly called fallen comrades. Some are called POW or MIA. We call them “brothers and sisters.” They are unable to be with us today, and so we remember them because of their sacrifice and incarceration.
The chair represents the thousands of mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers who waited at home for over (292,000) Americans who would never return.
The red rose represents the hopes and dreams of peace for each soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for the people of South Korea.
56,685 casualties came with the cease fire following 10 long years of direct U. S. involvement in the Vietnam War. A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land.
A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and their families who seek answers.
The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.
The wine glass placed upside down represents their inability to share our toast and all of life’s hope and dreams never realized by those who were lost.
The yellow ribbon represents the hopes and prayers of the thousands of families and friends who waited for the safe return of their loved ones from Operation Desert Shield / Storm of over 500, 000 U. S. Service personnel. The hopes and prayers for 246 went unanswered. During the ongoing operations enduring freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and Afghanistan our brothers and sisters continue to make the ultimate sacrifice while securing freedom for us and our allies.
The lighting of the candle serves to remind us of the ultimate sacrifice our fallen comrades and their families have made to preserve the precious freedom we all cherish today. As a small tribute, I ask that we take a moment of silence as an expression of our gratitude to those whose selfless service enables us to be here today in freedom.
(Note: It would be fitting for a bugler or a recording of Taps be played).
They were: George Thomas Sullivan, 27; Francis "Frank" Henry Sullivan, 26; Joseph "Joe" Eugene Sullivan, 24; Madison "Matt" Abel Sullivan, 23; and, Albert "Al" Leo Sullivan, 20.
Shortly after the tragedy of the sinking of ship, a black sedan pulled up at the Sullivan’s’ home in Waterloo, Iowa, on January 12, 1943, and three uniformed men got out—a lieutenant commander, a medical doctor, and a chief petty officer.
Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan were standing on the front lawn---holding each other very close. Picture that scene for a moment. You could cut the fear with a knife. "I have some news for you about your boys," the navy commander said. The silence was broken when the father, Thomas Sullivan, asked, “Which one?” “I’m sorry sir,” said the commander. “All Five.”
How does a nation express its undying gratitude for such a loss? The answer: It can’t. We merely blush with our own inadequacy in the presence of such sacrifice. There is a host of American heroes to whom this country owes a great debt of gratitude which it can never repay. They are, as Sir Winston Churchill so rightly called them, “our honored dead.”
And the story of the Five Fighting Sullivan’s lives on in our Nation’s history.
May I suggest Sunday, May 27, the day before Memorial Day 2018, that you give consideration to placing a table of remembrance in a prominent place in the sanctuary of your local church. Here is a ceremony that we call “Fallen Comrade Ceremony” (author unknown)
Narrator: While we are honored to have you all present on this Memorial Day Sunday May 27, 2-18, we would be remiss if we did not pause to remember those who could not be with us.
The table that you see is set for one, in a place of honor. This table is filled with symbolism.
The table cloth is white symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call of duty for our country. This table is our way of symbolizing the fact that members of our armed forces who are missed from our midst. They are commonly called fallen comrades. Some are called POW or MIA. We call them “brothers and sisters.” They are unable to be with us today, and so we remember them because of their sacrifice and incarceration.
The chair represents the thousands of mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers who waited at home for over (292,000) Americans who would never return.
The red rose represents the hopes and dreams of peace for each soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for the people of South Korea.
56,685 casualties came with the cease fire following 10 long years of direct U. S. involvement in the Vietnam War. A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land.
A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and their families who seek answers.
The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.
The wine glass placed upside down represents their inability to share our toast and all of life’s hope and dreams never realized by those who were lost.
The yellow ribbon represents the hopes and prayers of the thousands of families and friends who waited for the safe return of their loved ones from Operation Desert Shield / Storm of over 500, 000 U. S. Service personnel. The hopes and prayers for 246 went unanswered. During the ongoing operations enduring freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and Afghanistan our brothers and sisters continue to make the ultimate sacrifice while securing freedom for us and our allies.
The lighting of the candle serves to remind us of the ultimate sacrifice our fallen comrades and their families have made to preserve the precious freedom we all cherish today. As a small tribute, I ask that we take a moment of silence as an expression of our gratitude to those whose selfless service enables us to be here today in freedom.
(Note: It would be fitting for a bugler or a recording of Taps be played).