10/21/2020
Established in 1873 and based in Annapolis, the United States Naval Institute is a hugely-influential institution, advancing and disseminating the latest in naval history, leadership, theory, strategy, technology, and tactics. The Naval Institute's monthly magazine, Proceedings, is its flagship publication, first published in 1874, and one of the oldest magazines in the country. We are delighted to share with you a review of Brothers in Arms in its October edition and honored to be part of such a revered publication. Thank you to Captain Bill Bray, U.S. Navy (Retired), for writing the review.
Brothers In Arms: Remembering Brothers Buried Side by Side in American World War II Cemeteries
Kevin M. Callahan. Norwalk, CT: Brothers in Arms Press, 2020. 379 pp. $35.
Reviewed by Captain Bill Bray, U.S. Navy (Retired)
In paying tribute to the many incredible sacrifices of the Greatest Generation, the U.S. military reserves a special category for families that lost two or more siblings at war. The Navy honored the five brothers lost on the USS Juneau (CL-52) at Guadalcanal by naming two destroyers for them: The Fletcher-class destroyer USS The Sullivans (DD-537) and, later, the Arleigh Burke–class destroyer, also named The Sullivans (DDG-68). And it was through the almost unimaginable pain of losing three, and potentially four, sons that Steven Spielberg told the story of the Normandy invasion in his 1998 movie, Saving Private Ryan (based on the true story of the Niland family and the War Department’s “sole-surviving son” policy). What many do not realize is just how many World War II families belong to this unfortunate club.
Kevin Callahan and a small team of interns do not give readers that answer, precisely. But what their exhaustive research does show is that the heartbreaking occurrence was not rare. In this fantastic book, Callahan chronicles the stories of more than 100 of 286 sets of brothers who rest in the 14 overseas World War II American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries. This is remarkable, considering fewer than half of fallen American World War II servicemen are buried overseas (families had the option to repatriate their loved ones’ remains, and some 60 percent did so).
In addition to visiting the cemeteries, which are located in eight countries, Callahan and team trekked to 35 states and Canada seeking local records and often meeting with surviving family members and descendants. At these meetings, many families provided photos and other archival material in addition to sharing their recollections. Preceding this groundwork were months of remote research to build online family trees for each set of brothers. The extent of this detailed work is clearly evident in achieving the book’s goal, “to tell the stories, in words and images, of brothers buried side by side in American World War II cemeteries overseas.”
Each cemetery has its chapter, beginning with the only cemetery in North Africa (American Cemetery, Carthage, Tunisia) and finishing with the only cemetery in the Pacific (American Cemetery, Manila, the Philippines). Callahan provides a brief explanation of why the sites were chosen, the architectural design, and the memorial features on the grounds. Short sections then follow on each set of brothers for whom the research has been completed. For example, one of the four sets buried in Carthage is included, along with 12 of the 40 sets in the American Cemeteries at Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, and another 12 of the 43 sets of brothers resting in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. Research has been completed on sets from eight other cemeteries, with only the cemeteries in Cambridge, Rhone, and Florence omitted thus far.
Each story is told poignantly and often complemented with family and childhood photographs that say more than words ever could about the tragedy of war. While the chapters are relatively brief, the cumulative effect of reading one after another is powerful.
Callahan also provides a short history of American war cemeteries in the introduction, from the first cemetery dedicated in 1851 in Mexico City, where the remains of 750 Mexican-American War dead rest, through the Civil War to the World Wars. There are eight World War I cemeteries in Europe containing the remains of about 30,000 of the more than 100,000 U.S. war dead. Finally, Callahan provides a complete list of the 286 sets of brothers at the back of the book.
Brothers In Arms is not a finished product. The research continues, and updates are regularly added to the book’s corresponding website. Callahan’s inspirational project is a living one and can be accessed via social media .
Captain Bray is a retired naval intelligence officer and the deputy editor-in-chief of Proceedings.
