The Sullivans

I lived in Waterloo, Iowa from 1968-73. In that time I drove by the Sullivan home in the North End of Waterloo. Each time I drove by it brought back the scenes depicted in the movie of Waterloo. It also brought back the pain with the Sullivan loss. I had a strange affinity for the area as if every time I drove by I was living the story all over again and with the Sullivans. To this day, the pain of their loss and the infrequent trips back to Waterloo confirm in my heart the deep, deep gratitude I have for the ultimate sacrifice of the five brothers.

This film was made during WWII when the outcome was still uncertain. It served as a strong motivational film for the American theater going crowd much like "Guadalcanal Diary" and Wake Island" to name just two. Most of the picture concerns the brothers growing up and their strong bond with each other. The actual story of them serving in the Navy is very small in relation to the rest of the movie. The spirit of the five brothers is still alive today as the Navy recently named yet another ship after them i.e. USS The Sullivans DDG 68. The story would still make for a fine remake using 90's style film making and with the right director be up there with "Saving Private Ryan". Check this film out and look for a small role by the great character actor Ward Bond whose presence in films always makes a difference.

War movies are typically shown on TV for Memorial Day, and this one about tops them all. On the one hand, it's old-Hollywood style so you have to know how to "watch" it--a woman carrying a big stuffed animal is pregnant, for example. On the other hand, there's minimal war footage and jingoism, uncommon for a wartime movie. It shows, rather than tells, which gives it much more power. Deeply moving after more than half a century.

A lot of people know the story of the USS Indianapolis that sank at the end of World War II. It was the ship where only 316 of the 1,196 crew survived because there was a delay in looking for them. This film tells the story of the USS Juneau, it is not as well known but its story is terrible as well. Only 10 out of 700 crew survived. This ship is best remembered as the one where the Sullivans died. There has been a change in policy since where brothers are prohibited from being on the same ship. This film does a wonderful job of bringing the Sullivan saga to life. I can imagine the patriotic impact it had when it was shown at the time. I caught it on an old movie channel and I remember the scene that got me was the one at the end where it made out like they were all ascending to heaven.

I first saw this film as an eight year old during the war. I regularly showed the video version to my high school history classes during my teaching career. Even though it was on the edge of being brutally hard to take when the Sullivan family learned of the death of all five of their sons, my students regarded the film as one which showed a great deal about the home front and about the sacrifices this generation made to the country.