Today in history, 1942...

[Cabin Fever]

Today in history, 1942, the cruiser USS Juneau was sunk by a Japanese torpedo during the Battle of Gaudalcanal. The five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo, Iowa served on the USS Juneau at the time of the attack.

On January 12, 1943, three men in uniform approached the front door of the brother's parents. "I have some news for you about your boys," the naval officer said. "Which one?" asked Thomas. "I'm sorry," the officer replied. "All five."

There were only 10 survivors of the attack on the Juneau. The five Sullivan brothers were among the souls that perished.

 

[Wingnut]

I remember my pop the submarine commander speaking of this incident many years later... also, wasn't it mentioned in that 'SAVING PRIVATE RYAN' movie? I believe the loss of all five brothers spurred top brass to separate relatives from then onward, in order to increase the odds of at least SOME surviving and making it home.