The Sullivans (DDG 68) - Naval Cruise Book

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COMMANDING OFFICER Af .-.1 - xi COMMANDER RYAN C. TILLOTSON UNITED STATES NAVY CDR TILLOTSON WAS BORN IN FOCATELLO, IDAHO AND RECEIVED HIS COMMISSION THROUGH THE NAVAL RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON. AFTER ATTENDING THE SURFACE WARFARE OFFICERS SCHOOL DIVISION OFFICER COURSE IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, HE SERVED IN USS DUBOOUE CLPD S5 AS ORDNANCE OFFICER, ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER AND NAVIGATOR, THEN HOME PORTED IN SASEBO JAPAN. FOLLOWING HIS TOUR IN USS DUISUOUE, CDR TILLOTSON ATTENDED THE NAVAL FOSTGRADUATE SCHOOL CNPS5 IN MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA, EARNING A IVIASTERIS OF SCIENCE IN OPERATIONS ANALYSIS. UPON GRADUATION FROM NPS HE SERVED AS COMBAT SYSTEMS OFFICER IN USS JOHN A. MOORE CFFG 195, AND C-41 OFFICER IN USS PELELIU CLI-IA 55 BOTH HOME PORTED IN SAN DIEGO. CALIFORNIA. HE SERVED AS EXECUTIVE OFFICER IN USS DE WERT CFFG 455 AND USS O' BANNON CDD 9875 IN MAYPORT, FLORIDA. CDR TILLOTSON ASSUMED COMMAND OF USS THE SULLIVANS CDDG 685 IN DECEMBER 2007. CDR TILLOTSONIS SHORE DUTY ASSIGNMENTS INCLUDE THE SURFACE WARFARE DIRECTORATE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL DPERATIONS STAFF CN865, WHERE HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR VARIOUS CURRENT AND ADVANCED LAND ATTACK WARFARE AND NAVAL SURFACE FIRES SUPPORT PROGRAMS. HE ALSO SERVED AS THE LIEUTENANT COMMANDER DETAILER AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR SURFACE WARFARE CFFICER DISTRIBUTION IPERS 41 NAVAL PERSONNEL COMMAND. IVIILLINGTON TENNESSEE. HE IS ALSO A GRADUATE OF THE NATIONAL WAR COLLEGE WITH A MASTERS OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY. CDR TILLOTSON HAS EARNED THE MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL, NAVY AND MARINE CORPS COMMENDATION AND ACHIEVEMENT MEDALS AS WELL AS SEVERAL PERSONAL. UNIT AND CAMPAIGN AWARDS. HE IS MARRIED TO THE FORMER MS. AMY I-IUDSON OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS. THEY HAVE ONE DAUGHTER, CLIVIA, AND LIVE IN JACKSONVILLE. FLORIDA. HE ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE USS THE SULLIVANS CDDG 685. HOME PORTED IN MAYPORT, FLORIDA ON DECEMBER 7TH 2007 2

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-f-f-----. . .......v .-...Q--. ..-.Q..-...... i - I - Y 1 I W I Y fs-. .,, . QQ --- . 9 1 -A -X 1, ' C . v K 0 . .' W ' I gg g .. .. 4. ' . ' N l ' 4 M f, , -52:4 QI . 'A M 9 S . Lui THE SULLIVANS NAMESAKE DDG 68 is named after George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert Sullivan, five brothers who died aboard the cruiser USS Juneau in 1942. In the aftermath of Juneau's loss, the Navy notified Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Sullivan of Waterloo, Iowa, that all five of their sons were missing in action. Two of the brothers had served previous four-year enlistments in the Navy and so, when all five brothers enlisted together on 3 January 1942, the Navy was the obvious choice. They had also insisted on serving together on the same ship. Although the accepted Navy policy was to separate family members, the brothers had persisted and their request was approved. It was later learned, through survivors' accounts, that four of the brothers died in the initial explosion. The fifth, George Thomas, despite being wounded the night before, made it onto a raft where he survived for five days before succumbing either to wounds and exhaustion or a shark attack. The brothers received the Purple Heart Medal posthumously and were entitled to the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four engagement stars and the World War II Victory Medal. They had also earned the Good Conduct Medal. They were survived by their parents, Mr. Thomas F. Sullivan and Mrs. Alleta Sullivan a sister, Genevieve Sullivan, and by Albert Leo Sullivan's wife, Katherine Mary Sullivan Their son, James Thomas, was twenty-two months old at the time of his father's death. l

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E ECUTIVE OFFICER LIEUTENANT COMMANDER MICHAEL S. JOHNSTON UNITED STATES NAVY A NATIVE OF NORTH CAROLINA, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER MICHAEL ISHAWNI JOHNSTON EARNED A S.S. IN ZOOLOGY FROM NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY AND WAS COMMISSIONED AN ENSIGN THROUGH THE NAVAL ROTC PROGRAM IN DECEMBER I993. AFTER COMPLETING SURFACE WARFARE OFFICER SCHOOL DIVISION OFFICER COURSE IN NEWPORT, RI, LCDR JOHNSTON WAS ASSIGNED TO USS ARLEIGI-I BURKE CDDG 513 IN NORFOLK, VA AND SERVED AS REPAIR DIVISION OFFICER, ELECTRICAL OFFICER, AND ENGINEERING TRAINING ASSISTANT FROM OCTOBER 1994 TO OCTOBER 1996. HIS NEXT TOUR WAS IN USS ENTERPRISE CCVN 653 WHERE HE SERVED AS OI DIVISION OFFICER AND BATTLE GROUP FOTC OFFICER FROM NOVEMBER 1996 TO NOVEMBER 1998 IN NORFOLK, VA. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JOHNSTON THEN ATTENDED THE NAVAL FOSTGRADUATE SCHOOL IN MONTEREY, CA AND RECEIVED HIS MASTERS DEGREE IN OPERATIONS RESEARCH IN DECEMBER 2000. LCDR JOHNSTON GRADUATED THE SWOS DEPARTMENT HEAD COURSE AND REPORTED ABOARD USS LEYTE GULF CCG SSI IN NORFOLK, VA. HE SERVED AS THE WEAPONS OFFICER FROM NOVEMBER 2001 TO MARCH 2003. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JOHNSTON ASSUMED DUTIES AS COMBAT SYSTEMS OFFICER AND SENIOR WATCH OFFICER IN USS LEYTE GULF CCG 555 FROM MARCH 2003 TO OCTOBER 2004. HE MADE TWO ARABIAN GULF DEPLOYMENTS IN SUPPORT OF OPERATIONS ENDURING FREEDOM AND IRAOI FREEDOM DURING HIS TENURE ABOARD LEYTE GULF. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JOHNSTON REPORTED NEXT TO THE NAVY'S OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS IOLAI IN WASHINGTON D.C. AS A CONGRESSIONAL LIAISON OFFICER FROM NOVEMBER 2004 TO JANUARY 2007. HE BEGAN WITH THE CAI, SPACE, AND IT PORTFOLIO OF PROGRAMS THEN TRANSITIONED TO THE SHIPBUILDING AND SURFACE WARFARE PORTFOLIO FOR HIS FINAL I4 MONTHS IN OLA. LCDR JOHNSTON REPORTED AS EXECUTIVE OFFICER IN USS THE SULLIVANS CDDG 685 HOME PORTED IN MAYPORT, FL IN JUNE ZOO7. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JOHNSTON'S PERSONAL AWARDS INCLUDE THE MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL, NAVY AND MARINE CORPS COMMENDATION MEDAL C4 AWARDSI. NAVY ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL, AND VARIOUS UNIT, CAMPAIGN. AND SERVICE MEDALS. LIEUTENANT COMMANDER JOHNSTON IS MARRIED TO THE FORMER HEATHER SUZANNE SPENCER OF GREENSBORO, NC AND HAS THREE DAUGHTERS. ARIELLE. SAMANTHA, AND MCKENNA 3