[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 152 (Thursday, September 21, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE USS THE SULLIVANS DD-537/DDG-68 ASSOCIATION'S 27TH 
                                REUNION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 21, 2017

  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize and 
welcome the USS The Sullivans DD-537/DDG-68 Association to my hometown 
of Buffalo, New York on September 20th, 2017 as they celebrate their 
27th reunion at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.
  On November 13, 1943, following the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal 
during the Second World War, five brothers tragically lost their lives 
at sea when a Japanese torpedo struck and sunk the USS Juneau while 
sailing the Solomon Sea. Upon learning that George, Francis, Joseph, 
Madison, and Albert Sullivan had all perished, President Roosevelt 
honored their memory by renaming DD-537 in their namesake as USS The 
Sullivans.
  Since the Second World War, two ships, DD-537 and DDG-68 have proudly 
shared the name USS The Sullivans and the motto of ``We Stick 
Together'' in order to exemplify the courageous and enduring spirit of 
the Sullivan brothers. For over 70 years a USS The Sullivans has 
patrolled the world's waterways, thus preserving the peace and 
promoting international stability.
  In the years since it was decommissioned, DD-537 has called the 
Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park home. Located in 
Buffalo's Canalside district, USS The Sullivans DD-537 has served as a 
floating monument to the Sullivan brothers' enduring legacy as well as 
to the countless men and women who have served aboard a USS The 
Sullivans since 1943.
  Mr. Speaker, it is again with great pride that I welcome the 27th 
reunion of the USS The Sullivans DD-537/DDG-68 Association to Buffalo, 
New York as they celebrate the storied legacy of their vessels in the 
company of fellow veterans and current service members

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