RAYMOND B. SULLIVAN, JR., 2LT, USMC

Raymond Sullivan, Jr. '29

Date of birth: November 19, 1906

Date of death: May 19, 1931

Age: 24

Lucky Bag

From the 1929 Lucky Bag:

RAYMOND BROOKS SULLIVAN, Jr.

At Large

"Sully" "P.P." "Joe"

DEPICTED here you will see, not the spirit of eternal youth, but Sully. Though well past his majority, this lad's beaming countenance is still covered by the skin of a milk-maid on a radiant morn, unmarked by the tropical sun or Arctic blizzard. Sully is the kind of a boy you like to have around. His endless store of stock-phrases, bromides, and spontaneous helium brightens the dreariest task. He is as friendly as a wet dog, good-humored as they make 'em, and witty as Shakespeare never was.

Though attracted by, and attractive to, the unfair sex, Sully is technically a Red Mike. The woman pays, and so far as he is concerned, she can keep on paying. He never drags unless a big heart and a weak will cause him to lend ear to the blandishments of a distraught classmate with a spare drag.

To become a Marine is Sully's ambition, though he is not accustomed to worrying about it. Since first he gazed up out of the cradle at the campaign medals on his father's chest, his only thought on the subject has been, "It is only meet and proper that I should be a Marine. Perhaps in future years we'll find him in far off Timbuctu earning a few decorations for his own chest. May that baby face never become weather-beaten by foreign climate; may that wit never be dulled with disuse; may that humor never be soured by failure.

Bowling 4, 3, 2, Captain 1. Class Football 2. Class Baseball 4, 3, 2, 1. Expert Rifleman. 2 P.O.

RAYMOND BROOKS SULLIVAN, Jr.

At Large

"Sully" "P.P." "Joe"

DEPICTED here you will see, not the spirit of eternal youth, but Sully. Though well past his majority, this lad's beaming countenance is still covered by the skin of a milk-maid on a radiant morn, unmarked by the tropical sun or Arctic blizzard. Sully is the kind of a boy you like to have around. His endless store of stock-phrases, bromides, and spontaneous helium brightens the dreariest task. He is as friendly as a wet dog, good-humored as they make 'em, and witty as Shakespeare never was.

Though attracted by, and attractive to, the unfair sex, Sully is technically a Red Mike. The woman pays, and so far as he is concerned, she can keep on paying. He never drags unless a big heart and a weak will cause him to lend ear to the blandishments of a distraught classmate with a spare drag.

To become a Marine is Sully's ambition, though he is not accustomed to worrying about it. Since first he gazed up out of the cradle at the campaign medals on his father's chest, his only thought on the subject has been, "It is only meet and proper that I should be a Marine. Perhaps in future years we'll find him in far off Timbuctu earning a few decorations for his own chest. May that baby face never become weather-beaten by foreign climate; may that wit never be dulled with disuse; may that humor never be soured by failure.

Bowling 4, 3, 2, Captain 1. Class Football 2. Class Baseball 4, 3, 2, 1. Expert Rifleman. 2 P.O.

Loss

Raymond was lost on May 19, 1931 when his aircraft crashed near Pensacola, Florida, while he was a student aviator.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Raymond was flying a N. Y. primary-training landplane to practice for his final check in Squadron 2. Ensign W. E. Pennywell reported the crash, but Lt. W. K. Hazard was unable to land at the site because of the rough terrain. Ensign Gordon Conway, a student flier, was fatally injured the previous fall in a similar crash near the same location. Conway survived the crash, but later died from pneumonia.
Raymond was the first white boy born in Olonapo, Philippines. He was a member of the Pensacola Country Club and well-known in local golfing circles.
His godparents were General Smedley D. and Mrs. Butler. In 1920, the family lived in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. His sisters were Eleanor and Jeannette (Mrs. Lewis Merritt.) In 1924, the family lived in Quantico, Virginia.

He was survived by his parents, Colonel Raymond Sullivan, Sr., USMC and Eleanor Sullivan. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.

July 1929

2nd Lieutenant, Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

October 1929

2nd Lieutenant, Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

January 1930

2nd Lieutenant, Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

April 1930

2nd Lieutenant, Marine Corps Schools, Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Others at this command:

2LT Harry Lang '29

2LT Chandler Johnson '29

Class of 1929

Raymond is one of 29 members of the Class of 1929 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

← Gordon Cone '29

Donald Stillman '29 →

The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.

RAYMOND B. SULLIVAN, JR., 2LT, USMC

Raymond Sullivan, Jr. '29

Lucky Bag

RAYMOND BROOKS SULLIVAN, Jr.

RAYMOND BROOKS SULLIVAN, Jr.

Loss

Other Information

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

July 1929

October 1929

January 1930

April 1930

October 1930

January 1931

April 1931