Sullivan influences strong on new USS Iowa
Waterloo brothers who died in WWII remembered on ship's crest; granddaughter affirms crew's bond with state.
WATERLOO --- Kelly Sullivan remembers another cold April day 28 years ago.
On a Staten Island pier in New York harbor, she was expecting her first biological child -- her daughter Kelcie -- but gave birth to another -- the Navy destroyer USS The Sullivans, hull number DDG-68, named for her grandfather and great uncles who died together in World War II..
She gave the order, "Man this ship and bring her to life!" and the sailors, men and women, ran on board and manned their stations.
On Saturday, she watched another woman, who has become a friend, do the same thing, as former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack give those orders to the crew of the new USS Iowa submarine, hull number SSN-797, in Groton, Conn. where the sub was built.
Sullivan, also a member of the USS Iowa commissioning committee, had planned to be in Connecticut to support her friend. Due to travel and other complications, she did the next best thing. She attended a watch party for the commissioning ceremonies at Waterloo's Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, part of the Grout Museum District, one of more than two dozen parties around the state. The Waterloo event was attended by dozens of Cedar Valley residents who filled the museum "mess hall" events area, including many Navy and other military veterans.
One of those veterans was Kelly Sullivan's father -- Jim Sullivan, the son of Albert Sullivan, the youngest of the five brothers. He was a toddler when his dad and uncles George, Francis, Joseph and Madison were killed when the USS Juneau was sunk during the naval Battle of Guadalcanal. He followed his father and uncles into the Navy and served on a destroyer. Kelly and her father were surrounded by well-wishers who also turned out to welcome Iowa's new namesake ship into service.
"It's a historic day for the Navy, a historic day for Iowa.," Kelly Sullivan said. "I think the biggest thing is celebrating our state, our great state, and all the people who have served our country from Iowa. Iowa has a rich history of service and patriotism. Today's a day where we celebrate that. It's a big deal."
It was the end of a long process, six years, to build and commission the Iowa, a Virginia-class nuclear submarine with the most up-to-date firepower and "silent running" technology. It was a challenge for contractors, crew and the commissioning committee. Work continued through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The thing that really amazed me is all the people who make this happen," Sullivan said. "People don't realize what happens behind the scenes." Many of the commissioning committee members were Iowans and Navy veterans; Iowa firms helped with the construction. "It's neat to have so many Iowans involved in this process. And it's been wonderful to watch the whole thing unfold for all these years.
"I feel honored to have been part of it," Sullivan said, and she emphasized the USS Iowa sailors feel a part of the state of Iowa as well -- as evidenced by crew members volunteering to help clean up the grounds of the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, and parts of Cedar Rapids, after the August 2020 derecho.
"They sent a truck full of USS Iowa volunteers," Sullivan said. "They had generators, they had electric chainsaws, water, food and fuel. And they came for four days. They met in Marshalltown --Christie Vilsack met me there." They removed downed trees and limbs and helped restore some of the adjacent storm-damaged cemetery. "And then they went to Cedar Rapids and did work,” she said.
"Those sailors, they're our family," Sullivan said. "It's just like The Sullivans. We have sailors from The Sullivans that come to visit Iowa all the time. Because that's their state. It's even more so with these sailors. These sailors feel a family connection to the state of Iowa. They'll bring their grandkids here, and kids here, and say, 'This is the state that represents the boat that I am plank owner (original crew member) of.' "
Sullivan said she also connected USS Iowa sailors with a Navy cycling crew which participates in RAGBRAI, Iowa's annual cross-state bicycle ride, and they are part of that team now as well.
"They also go to the State Fair -- they're very well represented at the State Fair -- they've been here (in Waterloo) a couple of times for Iowa Irish Fest, RAGBRAI and the derecho" relief effort. "That's just a few of them. So many more things than that. That's the thing we also now celebrate, is that these sailors are now part of our Iowa family."
The new USS Iowa is the latest and best sub in the fleet in terms of armaments and capabilities, and the first submarine with total accommodations for a crew of men and women. But it is also loaded with tradition -- and one of those traditions is the role of the ship sponsor, a role that Sullivan and Vilsack are very mindful of.
The sponsor, traditionally a woman, is chosen by the Secretary of the Navy. She is technically considered a member of the crew. Sullivan has always referred to the USS The Sullivans as "my ship" and Christie Vilsack feels the same way.
Vilsack, a journalism graduate of the University of Iowa and a former columnist for the Mount Pleasant News where her husband, former Gov. Tom Vilsack, served as mayor before seeking state and national office, expressed her feelings in her new online column, "Common Ground," she now writes as a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.
"Most people associate a boat christening with a woman and broken bottle of champagne. That would be me on Jun 17, 2022. But the story of a boat sponsor christening a Navy vessel is about a special long-time relationship between a woman chosen by the Navy to care for the crew and families of for the rest of her life," Christie Vilsack wrote. "The officers, crew and families of the USS Iowa SSN-797 refer to me as the 'mom of the boat.' "
In those christening ceremonies, she said, " Thanks to fellow Iowa teacher, Kelly Sullivan, sponsor of USS The Sullivans DDG-68, a ship to honor the five Sullivan brothers, including her grandfather, who were all killed at sea in World War II aboard the USS Juneau. She has been a great mentor and friend."
Kelly Sullivan is one of the most active and visible ship sponsors in the Navy, supporting the USS The Sullivans crew in Iowa, its home port in Florida, New York and even attended a port visit in Ireland. Similarly, she has engaged and helped Vilsack, also the daughter of a Navy veteran and aviator, into her role as USS Iowa sponsor as they’ve worked together on projects and events like Iowa Irish Fest and the derecho cleanup.
"I feel blessed to be involved, and to have those connections with Christie," Sullivan said. "She's fabulous, and she's going to make a great sponsor. She said, 'I love being a sponsor and I'm very blessed to have this role.' I'm proud of her. She has a very strong Navy family history and she's really excited about this."
And, Sullivan noted, Vilsack has her granddaughters involved with the ship as maids of honor, who serve as proxies in the sponsor's absence and carry on her role -- potentially, Sullivan said, for the ship's entire service life.
Also at Saturday's watch party was U.S. Army Korean War era veteran Bill Keane of Waterloo, who also attended the 1997 commissioning of the USS The Sullivans at Staten Island, New York with a large contingent of Cedar Valley area residents. He also is a member of the Sullivan Brothers chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Waterloo. He saw a parallel between the two commissionings.
"It just feels wonderful because of the Iowa connection," he said. "We're just so proud of the Sullivan brothers, were proud of Kelly and the family and her devotion to history."
Reminders of the Sullivan brothers' sacrifice sail with the USS Iowa too. The official ship's crest bears a shamrock in commemoration of the brothers' Irish heritage and their service. It also bears a likeness of its predecessor ship, the battleship USS Iowa, BB-61, which served from World War II through 1990 and is now a museum in the Port of Los Angeles. One of the battleship's nicknames was "The Grey Ghost," and the submarine crew has drawn from that with its motto, "Fear the Ghost." The ship's crest also bears 47 stars for each of the sailors who were killed when the battleship's No. 2 gun turret exploded in April 1989. Members of the Battleship Iowa Museum were in Groton for the commissioning as well.
Sullivan and Vilsack also are carrying on traditions from their ships' predecessor vessels in their roles as sponsors.
Kelly's great grandmother Alleta sponsored the first Navy destroyer USS The Sullivans DD-537, which served from World War II through 1977 and is now at a military park in Buffalo, N.Y.
Similarly, preceding Christie Vilsack as sponsor of the battleship USS Iowa was Ilo Wallace of Indianola, wife of U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace of Orient. He also served as secretary of agriculture, as Gov. Vilsack did during the Obama and Biden administrations.
Vilsack also knows, from Sullivan's example, that a sponsor also supports a ship when its crew is at sea and potentially in harm’s way. In November, the USS The Sullivans embarked on its fifth overseas deployment in the past three years.
John Creery of Waterloo, who served in the Air Force from 1969-89 including a tour in Vietnam, said he had served at a fighter installation near the Bath Iron Works in Maine where the current USS The Sullivans was built and christened, but had never attended a ship launch, christening or commissioning. "So this sounded kind of cool," he said.
The watch party also offered plenty of good-natured inter-service razzing and camaraderie among the many veterans in attendance -- like the group of sailors who griped about a Marine veteran giving them orders while they nonetheless accommodated him to pose for a group photo.
Jim Sullivan struck up a conversation with fellow "tin can sailor" Paul Reuter of Waterloo, who served on the destroyer USS Robinson during the Korean War.
Reuter told Sullivan his grandkids had asked him if he'd ever killed anyone while in service.. "I dunno....I was the cook...." he deadpanned.
Pat Kinney is a freelance writer and former longtime news staffer with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier and, prior to that, several years at the Ames Tribune. He is currently an oral historian with the Grout Museum District in Waterloo. His “View from the Cedar Valley” column is part of “Iowa Writers Collaborative,” a collection of news and opinion writers from around the state who previously and currently work with a host of Iowa newspapers, news organizations and other publications. They are listed below. Clink on the links to check them out, subscribe for free - and, if you believe in the value of quality journalism, support this column and/or any of theirs with a paid subscription.
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Thank you. I always enjoy your columns that bring me back to Waterloo. One of my former Waterloo students, Sharla Delancey, is retired Navy and lives in Virginia Beach. She tells the story of her dad who worked for the Waterloo Post office who delivered the federal check to Mrs. Sullivan for the deaths of 4 of her sons. Sharla is an excellent raconteur. You would enjoy chatting with her. We visit her every time we head to Virginia Beach.
As always Pat, a great tribute.