"Saving Private Ryan" Movie: Mormon Tale
ska...@postoffice.pacbell.net
July 20, 1998
SAVING PRIVATE BORGSTROM: SPIELBERG FILM REVIVES MEMORIES OF MORMON
FAMILY'S WORLD WAR II TRAGEDY
Five brothers went to war, four returned home in coffins. Mercifully,
the government sent the surviving sibling home to relieve his grieving
parents. Melva Borgstrom couldn't imagine it happening to another
family. Her late husband was the survivor among the Borgstrom brothers,
whose war story has become patriotic lore in Tremonton, Utah, a tiny
town on the Idaho border. And that explains the amazement she and her
relatives expressed when they heard about the new Steven Spielberg
movie, "Saving Private Ryan", with Matt Damon playing the surviving
brother.
Officials at Spielberg's DreamWorks studio company insist the parallels
in the movie about three brothers who die and a surviving sibling sent
home are a coincidence. They say the screenplay is fiction and they had
never heard of the Borgstrom family until recently when a reporter and a
granddaughter called to ask about the incredible similarities. But a
co-producer of the film isn't surprised by the inquiries and expects
more of the same once the film opens to theatres July 24.
Sheila Borgstrom, whose father - Boyd Borgstrom - was the surviving
brother, siad people don't realize how such a tragedy can devastate not
just the immediate family, but succeeding generations as well. The
Marines sent Boyd Borgstrom home to the family farm in nearby Thatcher
in October 1944. Seven months earlier telegram was delivered saying
his 28-year old brother Clyde, also a Marine, had died at Guadalacanal,
where a tree fell on him while clearing away debris.
In June, another telegram arrived announcing the death of Roy, 30, an
Army medic who was shot and killed in Italy while carrying a wounded
comrade to safety. Less than two months after that, 19-year old Rolon
died of wounds suffered in an Army Air Force bombing raid over Germany.
His other and twin brother Rulon, was among the Army troops storming
France on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and was reported missing two months
later. The headstone in the cemetary here says he died August 22 in
battle at LaDreff, France.
When word of Rulon's fate arrived at the local Western Union office, the
agent refused to see Mrs. Borgstrom faint in grief again, says Wilma
Hawkes, 78, the last of the Borgstrom's 10 children still alive. He
told the Mormon bishop he wouldn't go there anymore, he said.
As Boyd Borgstrom awaitied his discharge in 1944 at Camp Lejeune, N.C.,
he told the Associated Press that there was not much to say about the
deaths of his three brothers "because nothing I can say will bring them
back".
The bodies finally came home four years after their deaths. LIFE
Magazine reported on the homecoming with photos of the bereaved parents
sitting in separate rooms of their home staring at the floor and of four
flag-draped caskets in the Garland Mormon Tabernacle, where the funeral
services were held.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andy Mays
> Officials at Spielberg's DreamWorks studio company insist the parallels
> in the movie about three brothers who die and a surviving sibling sent
> home are a coincidence. They say the screenplay is fiction and they had
> never heard of the Borgstrom family until recently when a reporter and a
> granddaughter called to ask about the incredible similarities. But a
> co-producer of the film isn't surprised by the inquiries and expects
> more of the same once the film opens to theatres July 24.
You know, seems Spielberg got into a little trouble with "Amistad" as
well. I can't recall offhand how it goes, apparently an academic
treatment of the story was pretty well plagiarized. I believe it went
to court, don't remember what happened.
Hollywood execs ripping people off? Not in *this* lifetime !!! ;^)
Keith Wood
Andy Mays <andy...@pacbell.net> wrote:
As much as I revile "Speven Stealberg," I have to note that similar
stories run back through history.
James Woods
>
> ska...@postoffice.pacbell.net wrote:
> >
> > ENTERTAINMENT TODAY
> > July 20, 1998
> [snip]
> > Officials at Spielberg's DreamWorks studio company insist the parallels
> > in the movie about three brothers who die and a surviving sibling sent
> > home are a coincidence. They say the screenplay is fiction and they had
> > never heard of the Borgstrom family until recently when a reporter and a
> > granddaughter called to ask about the incredible similarities. But a
> > co-producer of the film isn't surprised by the inquiries and expects
> > more of the same once the film opens to theatres July 24.
> [cut]
>
> You know, seems Spielberg got into a little trouble with "Amistad" as
> well. I can't recall offhand how it goes, apparently an academic
> treatment of the story was pretty well plagiarized. I believe it went
> to court, don't remember what happened.
>
> Hollywood execs ripping people off? Not in *this* lifetime !!! ;^)
The US military sent home *many* "sole surviving siblings" in WWII.
This was a direct response to the deaths of the Sullivan brothers aboard
a Navy ship early in the war. The Sullivan brothers were all lost on
the same ship, having been allowed to volunteer, train, and serve
together. Their loss brought to the US the same realization that the
"Pals' Brigades" brought to WWI England: modern warfare could quickly
claim entire families, towns, and generations. Not to be morbid or
sarcastic, but it was realized that this kind of event is very bad for
morale at home. The US military got very careful about families, and
tried to prevent wholesale enlistments of siblings. I had a great-uncle
who was denied enlistment in the armed forces (he tried them all) due to
his occupation (farmer), and the fact that all three of his brothers
were already in the various branches of the service.
There was a story in the Houston Chronicle this last Sunday or Monday
about another man who was sent home from his stateside training unit
after his brothers were all killed in action. So the Borgstrom family's
story is, unfortunately, not unique.
From what I have been able to glean, the fictional part of the Pvt. Ryan
movie is that he is rescued from behind enemy lines. Not the portion
about being the last surviving son.
Regards,
Jim
ps - I seem to recall that Spielberg won the "Amistad" case; however,
the author who sued him seemed to have a pretty good trail of
"coincidences" that supported her version of the development of the
movie idea, etc..
spa...@isu.edu
ska...@postoffice.pacbell.net wrote:
> SAVING PRIVATE BORGSTROM: SPIELBERG FILM REVIVES MEMORIES OF MORMON
> FAMILY'S WORLD WAR II TRAGEDY
>
I could find you a hundred different families that lost all but one son in that war.
Look at the casualty statistics... sheesh. MOST of these families are NOT LDS.
It is a waste of time to persue these kinds of assertions.
Complete Coincidence... "Citizen Kane = Hearst" it's not.
ska...@postoffice.pacbell.net
> ska...@postoffice.pacbell.net wrote:
>
> > SAVING PRIVATE BORGSTROM: SPIELBERG FILM REVIVES MEMORIES OF MORMON
> > FAMILY'S WORLD WAR II TRAGEDY
> >
>
> I could find you a hundred different families that lost all but one son in that war.
> Look at the casualty statistics... sheesh. MOST of these families are NOT LDS.
> It is a waste of time to persue these kinds of assertions.
It's the title of the written article, moron.
>
>
R.L. Measures
> ska...@postoffice.pacbell.net wrote:
>
> > SAVING PRIVATE BORGSTROM: SPIELBERG FILM REVIVES MEMORIES OF MORMON
> > FAMILY'S WORLD WAR II TRAGEDY
> >
>
> I could find you a hundred different families that lost all but one son
in that war.
>
> Look at the casualty statistics... sheesh. MOST of these families are
NOT LDS.
>
€ indeed
> It is a waste of time to persue these kinds of assertions.
>
> Complete Coincidence... "Citizen Kane = Hearst" it's not.
--
- Rich... - 805-386-3734, ag6k; take away plus from e-mail address
KBPOSTALC9
>From: kei...@SKIPTHESP.AM.bctv.com (Keith Wood)
>As much as I revile "Speven Stealberg," I have to note that similar stories
run back through history.
Just a side note. A number of years ago I read a story about three (or four?)
brothers who went down on a naval warship sunk during WWII. I believe the last
name was Sullivan. After that tragedy, the Navy wouldn't let brothers serve on
the same ship. Later a new destroyer was commissioned bearing their name.
Karl
If I am remembering it right.
Christian or Denise Walker
KBPOSTALC9 <kbpos...@aol.com> wrote in article
<199807220534...@ladder03.news.aol.com>...
Actually there were 5. Here is there story for anyone interested. My
little sister and brother went to an elementry school named after them in
Japan.
The Sullivan Brothers of Waterloo, Iowa
A large U.S. Navy task force left New Caledonia on November 8, 1942 to
bring reinforcements and supplies to the beleaguered Marines at Guadacanal.
At the same time the Japanese had sent a contingent of their navy to
resupply their army on the other side of the Island. On November 12th the
American ships and Marine aircraft destroyed an attacking Japanese group of
aircraft. One of the U.S. vessels was the light Cruiser, the Juneau.
Waterloo, Iowa had a population of less than 50,000 in 1942. Among that
number were the eight members of the Sullivan family who lived at 98 Adams
St. Thomas F. Sullivan, the head of the family, worked for the Illinois
Central railroad. He was named after his grandfather who had been born in
Ireland. Tom Sullivan married Alleta Abel in 1914 at St. Joseph’s Catholic
church. As was typical of Irish-Catholic families of that generation, they
lost no time in starting a large family.
December 14, 1914—George Thomas
February 18, 1916—Francis Henry
February 19, 1917—Genevieve Marie
August 28, 1918—Joseph Eugene
November 8, 1919—Madison Abel
July 8, 1922—Albert Leo
April 1, 1931—Kathleen Mae (Kathleen died of pneumonia just five months
later)
On the evening of November 12th, air reconnaissance discovered the approach
of the Japanese task force. It was considerably larger than the American
force. The transports fled and the warships prepared for the coming battle.
Despite having radar, the American ships almost collided with those of the
enemy. The engagement began about 1:45 A.M. There was no moon that night
and there was instant chaos as searchlights suddenly illuminated the two
adversaries at close range to one another. All ships unleashed their
barrage of heavy armaments at point blank range. Within 30 minutes the
engagement was essentially over. The Japanese lost a battleship and two
destroyers. Five of the 13 U.S. ships had been sunk or were heavily
damaged. Many men were lost, including the task force commander, Rear
Admiral Callaghan. The Juneau had just barely survived, having received a
torpedo hit on it’s port side which left a gaping hole and an almost
severed keel.
The Sullivan family led lives much like other middle class families of the
1920s and 1930s. It was Depression time and Tom Sullivan was fortunate that
he had a job. Not all of his children were able to finish high school. A
few of the boys found it necessary to help out meeting the household
expenses. The vacant lot next to their home provided space for various
sports activities. Most of the family found work at the Rath meat packing
plant. When the two oldest, George and Frank, returned home from a hitch in
the Navy, all five Sullivan brothers were working together again, just as
they were when playing sports on that lot next door to their home. The
youngest, Albert was the first to get married. He and his wife Mary became
parents when their son, James Thomas, was born on May 11, 1940. The other
brothers would probably have done the same, but World War II got in the
way. When reports were received about the death of their friend, Bill Ball,
who was on the battleship Arizona when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor,
they decided to enlist in the Navy. They did insist, however, that the Navy
allow them to stay together throughout their service. The Navy agreed. On
January 3, 1942, less than a month after Pearl Harbor, they were sworn in
at Des Moines, and left for Great Lakes Training Center.
At daybreak the surviving American ships huddled together and headed back
to their base. Late that morning, a torpedo fired from a Japanese
submarine, struck the Juneau near the storage area of its ammunition
supply. “When the torpedo hit, there was a single explosion and the air was
filled with debris, much of it in large pieces. The whole ship disappeared
in a large cloud of black, yellow black, and brown smoke. Debris showered
down among ships of the formation for several minutes after the explosion
to such an extent as to indicate erroneously, a high level bombing attack.”
Thus Captain Gilbert, the acting Commander of the task force, described
what he saw when the U.S.S. Juneau was struck. The captain of the U.S.S.
San Francisco, H.E. Shonland, reported that: “It is certain that all on
board perished.” Captain Hoover decided that rather than delay the escape
of the other ships, he would request that an Army aircraft in the area
report the position of the Juneau. The pilot did send in a report but it
did not get to the proper authorities. And, even more tragically, Captain
Shonland was wrong — there were survivors from the Juneau. It was not known
exactly how many made it into life rafts; there were at least 80. Among
them was George Sullivan, the oldest brother.
Gunner’s mate Allen Heyn was one of the survivors that was finally rescued
from the sinking of the Juneau. He reported that there were 10 days of
intense suffering as, one by one, the men succumbed to the intense heat,
their wounds, and sharks. Many were badly burned and died a painful death.
They became delirious from hunger and thirst. Heyn recalled how George
Sullivan decided to take a bath one night. He took off all his clothes and
swam around the raft. His movement attracted a shark…and that was the last
Heyn saw of him. Only ten men survived the ordeal.
Security required that the Navy not reveal the loss of the Juneau or the
other ships so as not to provide information to the enemy. Letters from
their sons stopped arriving at the Sullivan home and the parents’ anguish
began as they awaited word. One of the survivors of the Juneau wrote to Tom
and Alleta, but they still clung to the hope that their sons, or at least
one of them, survived. Soon an outpouring of sympathy ensued. The “Fighting
Sullivan Brothers” were national heros. President Franklin Roosevelt sent a
letter of condolence to Tom and Alleta. Pope Pius XII sent a silver
religious medal and rosary with his message of regret. The Iowa Senate and
House adopted a formal resolution of tribute to the Sullivan brothers.
Thomas and Alleta Sullivan, in spite of the intense pain of losing their
five sons all at once, made speaking appearances at war plants and ship
yards in behalf of the war effort. They hoped that they could help prevent
the loss of other American boys. Their daughter, Genevive, often
accompanied them, until she joined the WAVES on June 14, 1943. In April of
that year Mrs. Sullivan christened a new destroyer, U.S.S. The Sullivans,
in San Francisco. This ship is moored at Buffalo, New York as a memorial to
the five brothers. Today there is a park and playground where the Sullivan
house once stood. To prevent a tragedy of this magnitude from happening
again, Congress passed the Sullivan Law, which would prevent brothers from
serving on the same ship.
FAWNSCRIBE
Just a side note. A number of years ago I read a story about three (or four?)
brothers who went down on a naval warship sunk during WWII. I believe the last
name was Sullivan. After that tragedy, the Navy wouldn't let brothers serve on
the same ship. Later a new destroyer was commissioned bearing their name.
Karl
If I am remembering it right.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Its an OLD theme and its happened before..in fact yes it was the brothers
Sullivan.
Go get a copy of US magazine, I believe the AUgust Issue with Nick Cage on the
front.
it talks of Ed Burns..how he got the fake tears..LOL..and especially some
background.
This has happened in several forms, to several families actually.
Fawn
FAWNSCRIBE
try to check it out.
As far as AMistad?
Fawn
KBPOSTALC9
>From: "Christian or Denise Walker"
Thanks for the additional information. After I wrote my post I came across a
news story that mentioned there were, in fact, five Sullivan brothers who had
died. I was going to make a correction. Thanks for correcting it for me.
I first heard about them when I bought a plastic model kit of the destroyer
that was named after them. (over thirty years ago)
Postal
Sorry my memory didn't serve me well.