Buffalo NY museum

**LDB** · 02-23-2010, 02:23 PM

Last night I watched The Fighting Sullivans. It's not an A list stars movie but it's definitely A list as far as the story. A little looking and I found this info on the USS The Sullivans. First time near Buffalo I plan to go check it out. Home Page of USS THE SULLIVANS DD 537

**pelicn** · 02-23-2010, 02:46 PM

The Navy would no longer allow brothers to serve on the same ship after what happened to the Sullivan Brothers. My hubby and his brother had to get special permission to serve on the same submarine. They had to show that the family name would continue if anything happened. We had 3 sons, so they were granted permission to serve together and did so for 6 years.

**Moot** · 02-23-2010, 07:56 PM

The Sullivan Brothers were from Waterloo, Iowa. There is a civic center or auditorium or something named in their honor. Waterloo is also the home to the Grout Museum, which I wrote about on these very same pages. Although most of it, well all of it was a fragment of my imagination. I have never toured the Grout Museum. I'm not sure if Waterloo has a museum dedicated to the Sullivan Brothers but there is plenty of history there.

The Tom Hanks movie "Brother Where Art Thou", Oops wrong movie, wrong everything. How about "Saving Private Ryan". This movie was loosey based on the Sullivan Brothers' story.

John Deere rules but the Sullivan brothers are their claim to fame.

**LDB** · 02-23-2010, 11:04 PM

Actually the movie The Fighting Sullivans is the movie loosely based on the Sullivan brothers while Saving Private Ryan was loosely based on not at all the Sullivan brothers.

**Moot** · 02-23-2010, 11:51 PM

Originally Posted by LDB

...Saving Private Ryan was loosely based on not at all the Sullivan brothers.

The premise of the movie "Saving Private Ryan" was to get him home alive because he was the only surviving sibling. The Sate Department didn't want another Sullivan Brothers mess to deal with. All five Sullivan Brothers were killed on board the USS Juneau in 1942.

Further research gives credit to the Niland Brothers from Tonawanda, NY. as being who the movie is loosely based on. Two of the Niland Brothers died in 1944 invasion of Normandy. The movie "Saving Private Ryan" was definitely based on the Normandy Invasion, but it was the loss of the Sullivan Brothers in 1942 that prompted the State Department in the movie and probably in real life to rescue the likes of a Private Ryan.

**LDB** · 02-24-2010, 01:11 AM

Yes, they were the reasoning behind it although initially "based on" suggested a different meaning to me and colored my answer based on that.

**Moot** · 02-24-2010, 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by LDB

Yes, they were the reasoning behind it although initially "based on" suggested a different meaning to me and colored my answer based on that.

My exact words were "loosey based". I forgot the "l". I can certainly see how the absence of one little letter can completely change the entire meaning of this sentence:

Originally Posted by Moot

This movie was loosey based on the Sullivan Brothers' story.

I apologize for my shoddy proofreading.