Arlington National Cemetery is not only home to brothers and sisters-in-arms, but brothers and sisters, literally. For National Siblings Day, learn about some of the brothers who served together and are forever honored at ANC.
McGovern Brothers
Robert “Bob” McGovern and Jerome McGovern were two of six children in their family who grew up in the nation’s capital. When Bob and Jerome graduated from high school, they both enlisted in the U.S. Army and attended Officer Candidate School after basic training, commissioning as 2nd lieutenants.
In 1949, Bob was stationed at Camp Crawford in Japan, where citizens were still recovering after World War II. While stationed there, he volunteered at an orphanage and wrote home about the poor conditions. His words touched hearts back in the States, and care packages started arriving for the children—so many that he was able to share with neighboring orphanages.
After Jerome commissioned, he passed airborne training and joined the 187th Airborne Regiment. He reunited with his brother in Korea in the summer of 1950. However, the joy of their get-together was short-lived. The brothers were separated due to a shortage of officers, with Bob assigned to the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry and Jerome assigned to the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
On January 30, 1951, Bob and his platoon were involved in a skirmish where they were clearly overpowered. With no regard for his personal safety, he advanced on the enemy, grabbing grenades and throwing them back before they could explode. The platoon was able to overrun the enemy, but Bob was killed in action.
Jerome did not initially know of his brother’s death. Less than two weeks later, on February 10, 1951, Jerome’s company assaulted a hill near Kumwang-ni. The company came under heavy fire, with Jerome and many others wounded. Like Bob, he had the courage to lead. Jerome ignored his wounds and organized a second assault that would lead to a second McGovern sacrifice.
The brothers were rejoined at Arlington National Cemetery, where they can lay at rest together forever. Both showed the true meaning of selfless service.
Brett Brothers
Some people feel a calling for military service. Others feel a calling for spiritual service. But a rare few feel a calling for both.
Robert “Bob” and Francis “Frank” Brett grew up in southern Philadelphia and showed an early interest in priesthood. Frank was ordained in 1959 and Robert was ordained in 1963.
At the height of the Vietnam War, Father Robert joined the U.S. Navy as a military chaplain, assigned to the 26th Marine Corps Regiment, 2nd Battalion in Phu Bai, Vietnam. Father Bob, as the Marines called him, could be seen wherever Marines were, regardless of weather or enemy presence. Lt. Col. Jerry Kurth, in his memoir about his service in Vietnam, remembered Father Bob’s dedication to his Marines: “Around 7 a.m. a couple of choppers arrive at Hill 558 to pick up the replacements. Just as the last replacements board, Father Brett runs up to a chopper and tells the pilot that he will be accompanying the replacements. He never bothers to ask permission or seek approval.”
On February 22, 1968, Father Bob was at the Khe Sanh combat base waiting for a helicopter him back to the command post. As the helicopter landed, North Vietnamese Army rockets started hitting the base. Father Bob told the helicopter to leave without him while the rocket fire sped up. He made his way to the trenches, where a rocket struck and killed him along with seven others.
Shortly after his brother’s death, Father Frank joined the U.S. Army and soon deployed to Vietnam. He earned the Bronze Star and the Legion of Merit and retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel after nearly 30 years of service. In his retirement, he continued his mission in the priesthood, assisting his parish and local military base.
Father Bob was buried on the grounds of the seminary that he attended, but in 1998, the Brett family requested to move his remains to Chaplains Hill. Father Frank was laid to rest with him in 2019. We are grateful for their service to the nation.
Sullivan Brothers
The Sullivan family motto: We stick together.
The five Sullivan brothers—Albert, Madison, Joseph, Francis and George—all decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy after they received a report about the death of their friend, Bill Ball, aboard the battleship Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. They insisted that the Navy allow them to stay together throughout their service. Less than a month after Pearl Harbor, they were sworn in and made their way to the Great Lakes Training Center.
On Nov. 13, 1942, U.S. Navy Seaman 2nd Class Albert Leo Sullivan, Seaman 2nd Class Madison Abel Sullivan, Seaman 2nd Class Joseph Eugene Sullivan, Coxswain Francis Henry Sullivan and Gunner's Mate 2nd Class George Thomas Sullivan died when the ship to which all five were assigned, the USS Juneau, sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
During peacetime, the Navy commonly allowed brothers to serve together on the same ship. This practice was never specifically forbidden during World War II. Since the tragic loss of the Sullivan brothers, the U.S. military has revised its policy on allowing siblings to serve under the same command. Siblings must now get authorization to serve on the same ship and cannot serve together in hostile zones.
Of the 700 crew members aboard the USS Juneau, approximately 100 survived the initial torpedo attack, and only 10 were rescued from the water eight days after the sinking.
All five brothers have memorial markers next to one another in Section MC, Sites 30-34, on Porter Drive.