Lt. Col. Joseph Albert Sullivan
He was born 22 Aug 1895 in Somersworth, Strafford County, New Hampshire and died 12 Nov 1942 aboard a Japanese Hell Ship en route to Davao on Mindanao.
He is buried in the Manila American Cemetery, Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly Fort William McKinley). Plot H, Row 1, Grave 108
His Pedigree — Wife's Pedigree
30 Nov 2001 e-mail to Larry Sullivan
from Major Albert L. "Duke" Fullerton
I am glad to respond to your inquiries about your grandfather. I admired him
greatly. He was always understanding about the problems I had with the GRS
company work, over which he had supervision. He trusted me and my officers to
the extent that he did not enter the picture except when we needed some
supplies or additional labor force. I was a 1st Lieutenant when I first met
him at Fort McKinley shortly after the attack began. He had been a QM officer
at Fort Stotsenberg and after Stotsenberg got hit hard he transferred to Ft.
McKinley, where he assumed the assignment of Post Quartermaster. Almost all
the post officers had gone to Bataan by this time. Shortly thereafter Col
Sullivan went to Bataan too, and I did not see him again until about three
weeks later on the peninsula. There were no supply jobs left when I got there
so I was assigned to the GRS under Col Sullivan. You asked my age. It was 28.
He was a very congenial man and a delight to listen him tell of his days in
the artillery in WWI. He made his headquarters close to Hospital No. 2 at
approx. 352 km. post. When the company commander of GRS Co. No l was wounded
in the radial nerve of his arm and hospitalized, your grandfather then promoted
me to Captain and commander of GRS Co. No. l. I established 4 US Army
Cemeteries under his overall supervision. He always trusted me to do it right
and never interfered. When the fall of Bataan came, the Col. ordered me to
take all my personnel and equipment over the bombed road to Mariveles, at the
tip of the peninsula, and await further orders. I did not see him again until
July as he got to Corregidor and I to the
big hike out of Bataan.
We met again, then at Cabanatuan where the Corregidor people were taken, and I had
been shipped in from O'Donnell. In the fall of 1942, Col. Sullivan was sent to
Davao on Mindanao on one of those hell ships. It wasn't until some months
later when that detail returned from Davao that I learned he had died aboard
the ship while en route to that camp. From my later experiences on three of
those ships, I believe he may have perished from heat exhaustion.
I am very happy to recall my times with your grandfather. I admired him.
Sincerely,
Major A. L. "Duke" Fullerton
See also