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This World War II propaganda poster, titled They Did Their Part, commemorates the tragic story of the five Sullivan brothers, who all perished when their ship, the USS Juneau, was sunk off Guadalcanal in November 1942.
The poster features a photograph of the five brothers—George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert—smiling in their U.S. Navy uniforms, with a background of five blue stars representing each brother. The text emphasizes their sacrifice for their country, noting that the brothers were "missing in action" off the Solomon Islands. Their deaths became a national symbol of family sacrifice during the war.
The Sullivan brothers were from a close-knit Irish-American family in Waterloo, Iowa. When a close friend of theirs was killed in action, the brothers decided to enlist together in the Navy on the condition that they be allowed to serve on the same ship. Despite regulations typically forbidding such arrangements to prevent the loss of an entire family, the Navy permitted the brothers to serve together aboard the light cruiser USS Juneau. Tragically, they all perished when the ship was struck by a Japanese torpedo.
The loss of the five brothers shocked the nation, prompting the Navy to tighten its regulations to prevent family members from serving together in such dangerous situations in the future. The Sullivans' story became a powerful rallying point for the American war effort, and their sacrifice was used to inspire greater support for the war. President Roosevelt himself ordered that a new Fletcher-class destroyer, DD-537, be named The Sullivans—a rare honor, as it was the only ship in the U.S. Navy to be named after more than one person.
In the aftermath of their deaths, the Sullivan family became symbols of American patriotism. The brothers’ parents, Thomas and Alleta Sullivan, were frequently featured in war bond drives and public events to encourage support for the war. Their loss also highlighted the human cost of the war, reminding the public of the personal sacrifices being made by American families across the country.
The They Did Their Part poster was circulated widely to remind Americans of these sacrifices and to inspire further commitment to the war effort, both on the battlefield and on the home front. The image of the five smiling brothers together, forever united in their shared service, remains one of the most poignant symbols of familial devotion to country during World War II.
