A Memorial Day Remembrance of the Sullivans

There were five Sullivan brothers: Depression-era, Catholic Irish-American sons of Tom and Alleta Sullivan of Davenport, Iowa. George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert Sullivan discovered that when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, one of their friends was aboard the USS Arizona. In their desire to avenge a friend’s death, they did what so many other Americans did in the aftermath of that devastating attack. They enlisted in the armed forces.

They chose the U.S. Navy and insisted that they be assigned to the same ship. The Navy had a policy against such assignments, but it was loosely enforced. By August, 1942 the brothers were aboard the light cruiser USS Juneau and participating in the Guadalcanal Campaign. On November 13, 1942, their ship was hit by a torpedo and withdrew from the naval engagement. The Juneau was later hit by another torpedo which detonated near the ammunition magazine. The ship exploded and quickly sank.

Letters from the Sullivan brothers suddenly stopped arriving at their Davenport home and the parents grew worried. Letters were the lifeblood that connected anxious American families with their sons in harm’s way.

On January 12, 1943, as father Tom prepared to leave for work, three naval officers arrived at the front door. Tom knew immediately that the news would not be good.

“Which one?” Tom asked.

“I’m sorry,” one of the officers replied. “All five.”

In addition to the parents and sister Genevieve, the survivors included Albert’s wife and young son.

The loss of a single service member is a devastating event for a family. We’ve seen it repeated across the nation for the past ten years with wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of us can still remember the losses from Vietnam. It’s always heartbreaking, always painful and gripping.

But five?

Can you imagine the shock and inconsolable despair the Sullivan family felt on that day in 1943?

No, of course not. Only the Sullivan family knew the pain, the numbness, and the utter disbelief in losing all five of the brothers. The blue-star flag in the window, indicating sons serving in the military, would now have five gold stars. FDR would send a condolence letter and resolutions honoring the family would be passed by state and local governments. Later, a U.S. warship would be named after the Sullivan brothers. But nothing could bring those boys back.

On this Memorial Day weekend, we honor all the gold-star families who have lost sons and daughters in service to our nation. If not for the willingness of our citizens to serve and sometimes sacrifice, American history would have charted a far different course. That willingness is still on display, from the distant battlefields to the blue-star flags in the windows. Thank God for those magnificent Americans in uniform, and those equally magnificent families supporting them.

In the movie The Fighting Sullivans, made in 1944, Tom watches with pride as Alleta christens the new destroyer, the USS The Sullivans

. As the ship sails away, Alleta turns and says, “Tom, our boys are afloat again.”

Mark Zuckerberg, Can You Spare A Dime?

Facebook becomes a public company this week. It’s expected to make a google of top executives and employees wealthy, so much so that Facebook is concerned about being able to retain many of its people once they discover the condition of great wealth. CNBC Squawk Box co-host Becky Quick retweeted this week that Facebook’s chief exec Mark Zuckerberg, who turned a ripe old 28 this week, could spend an after-tax $300,000 per day until age 80, and still have money left.

Should I take the stance now in vogue in some quarters that such a huge new concentration of wealth is nothing short of obscene? And in need of regulation? And unfair at its very core? And among such young, technology-savvy people?

Heck no. On the contrary, I think it’s terrific. Someone develops a product used by 800 million people, over 10% of the world’s population, and it would appear to the untutored eye that they just might have a value proposition to take to the marketplace. Investors will elbow one another in the temples and push their grandmas out of the way to get a piece of this one. And somebody’s gonna make some big money. Ya’ think?

My twenty-something nephew told me recently that those of my generation are technology-immigrants. Those of his generation are technology-natives. And what about those who are coming along in the next 15-20 years? Interesting, huh?

Zuckerberg’s success will encourage other young Americans of the technology persuasion to keep innovating and developing. As long as our tax and other policies won’t discourage wealth building (and, importantly, wealth keeping), we’ll continue to see enormously bright and talented people bring products and services to market that will make all our lives better. Does Facebook make our lives better? Well, that’s debatable, at least to me. But social media won’t be the only business sector affected by this success story.

I can easily foresee technological innovations transforming such industries as transportation, manufacturing, and energy. Medical information and recordkeeping is another sector on the cusp of major new leaps. As a writer, technological innovation has all but turned the publishing industry on its ear.

Don’t be surprised to see Mark Zuckerberg become a major philanthropist as he grows older and thinks of ways to give back. Just like Bill Gates. Just like many wealthy Americans have been doing since our nation's founding. It’s part of our tradition, a reflection on who we are as a people. The fortunate help the less fortunate. That’s why we need more fortunates, not less. People who can spare a dime very often do.

Mr. Zuckerberg will be able to spare lots of dimes, and my guess is he’ll put most of ‘em to work in the right places.

Congrats, Facebook.

The Tim Tebow Phenomenon

Unless you were hibernating last winter or stranded on a U.S. airport taxiway awaiting takeoff, you’re no doubt aware of the attention surrounding Tim Tebow, lately of the New York Jets.

Tebow is arguably the biggest draw in the NFL, America’s premier sports league. His jersey sales are among the leaders. He is discussed in minute, excruciating detail on the sports channels. And his larger-than-life celeb status has his photo in all the magazines of choice for those who follow the gossip.

However, there are plenty of vocal critics who denigrate his throwing motion, who question a team’s need to build an offense suited to his specific (and some argue, limited) skills, and who foresee his likely inability to become a bona fide NFL quarterback over the long term.

Others detest him for his religious displays and his kneeling in prayer on the field, a fad now popularly known as “Tebowing.” Many find it offensive that he uses football to take his message beyond the playing field, which he does enthusiastically and unapologetically.

He is both loved and reviled for his religious displays and beliefs in a nation where there seems to be little or no middle ground remaining.

Why is Tebow such a polarizing figure? After all, he’s a willing role model, a good citizen, and a man of faith who is building a children’s hospital in the Philippines. His good works are authentic and numerous.

Mothers (and probably many fathers) would want him as a son-in-law. Some would prefer that he leave football and enter politics, eventually seeking the presidency itself.

And he’s a winner. Americans love winners, right? Tebow was a part of two BCS national championships at the University of Florida. He was awarded the Heisman Trophy in 2007. He’s in the conversation as being perhaps the greatest football player in collegiate history. In the pros, he lit a fire under a lackluster Denver Broncos team and took them to the playoffs last season, defying the naysayers and validating his standing among his growing legion of followers. According to Twitter, immediately after his 80-yard touchdown pass to beat the Pittsburg Steelers in the wild-card playoffs, 9,420 tweets per second were generated.

I confess to being a Tebow admirer. I certainly didn’t like it when his Florida Gators were beating my Georgia Bulldogs in all but one of their meetings, but I always admired Tebow. And I still do.

As for the controversy, is one man kneeling in prayer, humbly and sincerely, really such a threat?