The Saber and Scroll
tory in the Solomons was guaranteed . But neither could they ignore the patriotic harvest that would be reaped from the loss of all the male children of one family during the most ferocious naval battle of the war .
Once announced , the family ’ s tragedy was an even bigger boost to the war effort than their recruitment and insistence on serving together . Both circumstances the Navy put to good use in its recruiting campaigns . The reaction of the family to the inevitable deluge of reports and government officials , however , would be critical to steering the public perception of the tragedy . Had the Sullivan family reacted negatively , public support for the war effort could have diminished .
The Navy informed the Sullivans that their boys were missing in action on January 11 , 1943 . A telegram from Vice President Henry A . Wallace encouraged the parents to remain hopeful in light of “ the most extraordinary tragedy which has ever been met by any family in the United States .” 53 Still , his news did not come as a complete surprise to Tom and Alleta . The couple had been warned by a neighbor whose son , also in the Navy , had written her to say , “ Wasn ’ t it too bad about the Sullivan boys ?” 54 A handwritten note from an anonymous Juneau survivor , who felt he owed the family the truth about their sons , crushed any hope that their boys would be found alive .
These revelations , however , failed to destroy the shield of hope the family outwardly projected . Mother , father , and sister “ enveloped themselves in a vortex of public attention after January 11 , avoiding , for the time being , those doubts and the misery the doubts evoked ,” 55 observes Satterfield . Alleta , with Tom watching pensively in the background , gave a multitude of radio and newsreel interviews in which she repeated over and over again the phrases that whitewashed the family ’ s façade , “ Keep your chin up .” 56 “ Our boys did not die in vain .” 57 “ They went together like they wanted .” 58 “ It ’ s a big loss to lose them , but I know they did a big service to their country .” 59 Her most famous platitude adorned recruiting posters for the remainder of the war ; “ They did their part .” 60
In February , the Navy ’ s Industrial Incentive Division arranged for Tom , Alleta , and Genevieve to come to Washington DC to “ tour of war plants in the hope their fortitude in their time of sorrow might inspire workers to maximum production efforts .” 61 While at the capitol , Alleta met with Eleanor Roosevelt and newspaper reporters to encourage all America to “ work harder to turn out more ships and win the war ,” but more poignantly “ mothers should pray for their boys and , above all , be brave and keep their chins up .” 62
So began the Sullivan ’ s morale tour , which would conclude in San Francisco four months later . The trio visited sixty-five cities , attended 235 rallies , and spoke to millions of war industry workers . 63 At each gathering , they repeated their mantra of hope and increased industrial output . Within a few weeks , the government , with the media ’ s help , “ had transformed the Sul-
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