Military Service
[ Home ] [ Roots in Ireland ] [ Emigration to North America ] [ Paternal Family ] [ Maternal Family ] [ Military Service ] [ Spiritual Leaders ] [ Christmas Memories ] [ Humorous Family Stories ] [ The Book of Sullivan OSullivan ] [ Cyber Research Links ] [ Our Parishes ] [ The Career of Detective John J. Sullivan ] [ Our Homes ] [ Entertainers ] [ Pictures ]

A FAMILY TRADITION OF MILITARY SERVICE

ANDERSON, JAMES C. In Federal uniform at the Munfordville Hospital in 1864. An attempt to locate his specific record caught a dead-end when we find over twenty James Andersons from Kentucky serving the cause of the blue. We don’t know if he was a casualty there or a medical corpsman of some sort.

WAR WITH SPAIN - 1898

SULLIVAN, JOSEPH PATRICK. Born April 2, 1877 in Ashtabula, Ohio. Brother of Daniel Sullivan. On the 15th of April he was baptized at St. Joseph's Church by Fr. E.J. Conway in the presence of his godparents, William Sweeney and Ellen Lynch. William was possibly the son of Michael and Julie (Sullivan) Sweeney. Julie was the aunt of our grandfather.

       In 1898 Joe resided at 644 Lake St., Cleveland, with his widowed mother Elizabeth, who was 42 years old at the time. Joe's father, Cork or Kerry-born Daniel, had died 7 years earlier, in 1891. He'd been a Lineman and telegrapher for the Lake Shore & Southern Railroad. Joe was employed as a printer at the J.R. Sawyer Printing & Publishing Co. in Cleveland.

           On June 23, 1898, at the age of 21, Joe went to the Recruiting Station of the U.S. Army at 37 Public Square, Cleveland, for his physical examination upon enlisting for the term of three years "to serve my country." The unit he joined was Columbus-based 14th Regiment of Infantry. On the Descriptive and Assignment Card of Recruit is stated that he stood 5'5" tall and had a Ruddy complexion. Both his eyes and hair were noted as black; his character, good. The date of his last vaccination was not known. He had a           scar on his right arm, four inches below the elbow and on his right leg below the knee. He also had scars on the back of his left hand, breast and ankle.

   On the 28th of June, 1898, Private Sullivan was assigned to Co. "F", 14th Regiment of Infantry, at Camp Merritt, San Francisco. Originally organized in 1877 as the Fourteenth Regiment, Ohio National Guard, the unit became the Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry (4th OVI) with 49 Officers and 1,319 enlisted men.

  As part of the Fourth Expedition to the Philippine Islands, the 14th Infantry, or Fourth O.V.I., was the only Ohio unit to engage in combat during what became known as the War with Spain. U.S.Troops first landed near Ponce on July 25, 1898, where they met minor resistance. The war was short-lived. A trace was concluded and General Nelson Miles’ men sustained seven KIA and 26 WIA in the 19-day Puerto Rican Campaign.   Although Joe only enlisted in June, 1898, I would normally find it unlikely one would be overseas within a  month of enlisting. However, he was already in San Francisco on the 28th of June. His discharge papers state the unit saw its first action at Guayana, Puerto Rico, where they suffered 5 wounded. They next attacked at Cayey and Barrio de Las Palmas, near Guayana. A memorial tablet can be found at Guayana listing 26 names of the 4th OVI who died on the island, at sea in transit to there or in training stateside in 1898. It was dedicated in 1923 by VFW members.   Joe’s discharge papers note he fought 'Filipino Insurgents'

on February 5-11, March 13, and on June 10, 12, 13 and 20, 1899. These actions occurred in the Philippine Islands where, along with the 1st Colorado, they waged war against Filipino guerrillas through the summer of 1899. The 1st Colorado’s veterans, led by Brigadier General Irwin Hale, 2nd Division, went on to organize one of the three groups that merged to form the VFW.

     Joe's Examination Preliminary to Muster-Out of Service or Discharge was dated June 2, 1899, at Pasay, Manila, P.I., signed by 1st Lt. A.I. Lasseigne, commanding Co. F. He was discharged a Private on the 16th of August, 1899, at Manila by Special Order 218, Headquarters, Dept. of the Pacific & 8th Army Corps. He returned by ship to the U.S. via San Francisco. For his service he was awarded the Spanish War Campaign Medal and Spanish War Service Medal.

Honorably Discharged.  

     After his military service Joe moved to Chicago to engage in his civilian trade. It's probable he joined Army buddies there. However, like so many other war veterans, he'd lost his health while overseas, probably to malaria, yellow fever or another tropical-type ailment. He died in Chicago, young and

unmarried, a casualty of war long after the fighting was over. We originally thought the family brought him home to Ashtabula to be buried with his parents and his red-headed brother, James. A printer by trade, James was accidentally killed by a streetcar in New York City while crossing the road. My grandfather Daniel was chosen to go to New York to bring Jim’s remains home because he could ride the railroad there without cost, or at a reduced cost. There were some bad feelings in the family because Dan couldn't afford to take the time off work - he wasn't paid for his time off. It was a financial hardship on the family despite his free, or near free, passage.

  The Sullivan family rests in the cemetery’s ‘old section’, Lot 29, Row J, St. Joseph's Cemetery, Ashtabula, in the old section, the one closer to the main road. Elizabeth's stone reflects her Irish pride; she was born in Ballaghadareen, on the County Mayo side of the Shannon River, where it borders County Roscommon. Her stone says, "Elizabeth Sullivan. Born in County Mayo." Joe's marker simply states, Joseph P. Sullivan. At one time there was a bronze marker signifying  Spanish American War Veteran but The last time we visited the cemetery it was no longer there.  In 1999 my brother Ed inquired at the Parish Rectory about the date of Joseph’s burial but they have no record of it. Perhaps he is buried in Chicago – and there is only a stone marker in Ashtabula.  We hope you will visit the family plot one day and say a prayer for the repose of the souls of the Sullivan Family.

WORLD WAR  I

ADAMS, JOHN F. 1537690, Enlisted Ohio National Guard, 37^th (Buckeye) Division, 16 June 1916 at the age of 33. As part of Co. A, 112^th Engineer Battalion, he was posted to the Mexican Border for service under John J. Pershing from 1916 – 1917. After spending time at Camp Sherman, IL and Camp Perry, Ohio in August 1917 they were deployed to Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, Alabama.

John deployed for overseas duty with the Division on June 22, 1918 on the Pocahontas to Brest France. Corporal Adams participated in the campaigns at  Lys, Ypres-Lys, Meuse-Argonne. The 112th Engineers floated the first pontoon bridges across Escault (Scheldt) River in Belgium despite high explosives and machine gun fire. John suffered from Gas inhalation when the Germans used it at Ypres, Belgium. On April 18, 1919 the Division boarded the USS Leviathan, arriving in New York on April 25, 1919. The family was downtown Cleveland when the Division arrived by train. John was not with them though – he was being treated for pneumonia in New York.

Decorations included Mexican Border Service Medal; Victory Medal of World War I with 3 battle clasps; Lys, Ypres-Lys, and Meuse-Argonne. With England-France and Defensive Sector clasps.Honorably discharged.

-9-

POST WWI AND PRE WORLD WAR II

Sullivan, John (J.)

 VA. Temporary Duty to Fort Knox, KY for surveying of land on which the US Gold Bullion Depository was built. Discharged at Fort Humphreys, 25 May 1934.

Honorably discharged.

SULLIVAN, JOHN J.  6657036,  “C” Company, 13th Engineers, Fort Humphries, 

WORLD WAR II

RODGERS, CHARLES G., Sergeant , 35703312, Finance, 71^st Division, 9th US Army. Enlisted 26 June 1943, 33 yrs old. Overseas 11 Feb ’44 – 6 Aug ’45. Returned aboard John Ericsson with HQ 9^th Army, New York City, August 1945. Campaigns – Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe. Good Conduct Medal, Victory Medal of World War Two, EAME Theater Ribbon with 4 Bronze Stars per WDGO #33/45. When the war ended they sat and waited two weeks for the Russians to show up. He always hated President Roosevelt for that. Honorably discharged.

BERLIN CRISIS/CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS/COLD WAR ERA

 Rodger “Red” J. Sullivan Pfc.

US 52498535, Tank driver. Basic Training and Armor School, Fort Knox, Kentucky. Assigned to 3^rd Recon, 12th Cavalry, 3^rd Armored Division  (Spearhead), Budingen, Germany, in the Fulda Gap, north of Frankfurt. (1959 – 1961). Survived 1959 accidental artillery shelling at Grafenwohr, Germany that killed 13 members of the 12^th Cavalry.  When his First Sergeant came into the tent to rouse him out of his sleeping bag for reveille that morning, Red went and got into the “chow line” instead of lining up for reveille like he’d said he’d do. An artillery shell with an incorrect charge went beyond the intended impact area and landed in “tent city,.” right where the Troop was lining up for reveille. Upon hearing the explosion, Red ran down to the impact area to find the First Sergeant was one of the casualties. He had been cut in half by the shell and was pounding the ground repeatedly saying, “the dumb sons of bitches, the dumb sons of bitches.” He died right there.

  Upon hearing the news that it was Red’s Cavalry troop that had been hit, my sister Marilyn called the parish house at St. Rose, Cleveland, asking for prayers. The Pastor misunderstood her. Marilyn was moving that particular weekend and I was helping her. I went to an early Mass at St. Rose that Sunday. Picking up a church bulletin I read, “Pray for Rodger Sullivan (Killed in Germany.) I was horrified and kept the news to myself all that day. After we’d finished moving Marilyn asked me if I had gotten a church bulletin. Somehow it then came out that it was a mistake. We still hadn’t heard from Red or the Army that he had survived.  Honorably discharged.

  COLD WAR/VIETNAM ERA

SULLIVAN, JOHN C. Admin. Specialist. US52543809  Basic Training, Fort Knox, KY. Assigned to 2^nd Armored Division (Hell on Wheels), Fort Hood, Texas. Participated in Operation “Big Lift”, a historic airlift of entire Division from Bergstrom AFB, Austin, Texas on USAF KC 135. Operated in field with NATO forces near Berlin. Returned on USAF C130 from Ramstein AFB via Gander, Newfoundland and Connolly AFB, Waco, Texas. Returned day before John Kennedy was killed in Dallas. Was in the field at Fort Hood when he learned the news.Became a ‘Desert Rat’ in 1964. Participated in Operation “Desert Strike.” in the Mojave Desert of California/Arizona with  1st Armored Division (Old Ironsides), 82^nd and 101^st Airborne, California National Guard and units of the US Air Force. Cold War, National Defense and Good Conduct Medals with Army Service and Army Overseas ribbons.  Served with US Army Reserves, 682^nd Heavy Equipment Maintenance Battalion, Huisman Armory, Warrensville Hts., Ohio. Attended two 2-week summer camps – Fort Knox, KY, 1966 and Camp (now Fort) Drum, New York, 1967.  Honorably Discharged.  

As of this writing, JC. remains active with veterans. He is currently

Commander of the American Legion Post #196 Brecksville, Ohio.

  SULLIVAN, F. DANIEL, U.S. Army, Transportation, Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. No photo currently available.

SULLIVAN, WILLIAM T. U.S. Army, Europe. No photo currently available.

MANTIFEL, J. CHRISTOPHER, USAF, Clark AFB, Phillipines. No photo currently available.