78:. Any son, not just a sole surviving son, was exempt from being drafted in peacetime if their father, brother, or sister had been killed in action or died in the line of duty prior to December 31, 1959, or died subsequent to that date as a result of injuries or disease incurred while in service. Sons were also exempt from being drafted in peacetime if a father, brother, or sister was in a
116:, Elmer, Clyde, and twins Rolon and Rulon, were all killed within a few months of each other in 1944. Their parents then successfully petitioned for their fifth son Boyd, who was also on active duty, to be released from service. Their sixth son, Elton, who had not yet reached conscription age, was exempted from military service.
231:, this provision does not apply to any of the above. Also, this provision is voluntary, meaning that the member wishing to be sent home has to request the policy to be applied for their application to be approved. Furthermore, it does not apply strictly to the sole surviving son but also to all surviving sons.
89:
The amendment also provided that a son or sons who had been drafted and had not voluntarily extended their term of service or re-enlisted, and during their service had come under the criteria of
Section 6(o) that would have prohibited them from being inducted as civilians, were permitted to apply for
123:, Charles, Joseph, and Henry, were all deployed during World War II. After Charles was killed in action in France in November 1944 and Joseph was killed in action in the Pacific in May 1945, Henry, who was serving with the Army Air Forces in Italy, was ordered home by the War Department. The
241:
The policy was changed to allow both enlisted and officers to apply for this discharge. If members of the Armed Forces re-enlist or voluntarily extend their active duty beyond the requirement after having been notified of a death in the family, those members become ineligible.
66:
of 1948 exempted the sole surviving son of a family where one or more sons or daughters had been killed in action, died in the line of duty, or subsequently died of injuries or disease incurred while in military service, from being drafted either in peacetime or wartime.
163:
Both the
Borgstrom and Butehorn incidents occurred before the Sole Survivor Policy was put into effect in 1948. They, along with the deaths of all of the Sullivan brothers in 1942, helped lead to it.
234:
Members of the armed forces who are not eligible for
Department of Defense Directive 1315.15, "Special Separation Policies for Survivorship," include those who currently have
425:
585:
535:
402:
105:
Before the Sole
Survivor Policy was officially implemented in 1948, several occasions occurred when sole survivors were excused from active service.
590:
75:
211:. Beau was deployed in Afghanistan with the Marines at the time and was immediately relieved of combat duties and returned to the United States.
134:, US intelligence believed that all but one of four siblings were killed in action. The eldest brother, Technical Sergeant Edward Niland, of the
174:
327:
94:
proceedings were not permitted to apply for discharge until the proceedings had been completed or the sentence handed down had been served.
595:
352:
516:
197:
97:
Since the passage of the law, each branch of the military has made its own policies with regard to separating immediate family members.
24:
550:
512:
451:
208:
32:
35:
during peacetime, or from hazardous duty or other circumstances, if they have already lost family members to military service.
63:
251:
465:
570:
219:
This policy protects "only sons", "the last son to carry the family name", and "sole surviving sons" only during
487:
124:
600:
446:
Kershaw, Alex (11 May 2004). The
Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-day Sacrifice. Da Capo Press.
74:, Congress amended Section 6(o) of the law to remove the restriction on surviving sons being drafted during
532:
399:
170:
in 2004. In 2007, Nathan died in a helicopter crash. Military officials ordered Jason home shortly after.
86:
status. The sole surviving son was permitted to apply for voluntary induction into the military, however.
28:
565:
27:
Directive 1315.15 "Special
Separation Policies for Survivorship" describes a set of regulations in the
135:
492:
273:
193:
186:
152:
224:
120:
113:
48:
488:"ONE FAMILY, TWO SACRIFICES – In a war few Americans fought, the Wises would pay an awful price"
447:
333:
323:
83:
44:
157:
539:
406:
139:
131:
79:
43:
The issue that gave rise to the regulations first caught public attention after the five
31:, partially stipulated by law, that are designed to protect members of a family from the
560:
297:
579:
235:
147:
91:
267:
200:
190:
109:
56:
238:
charges pending against them or those who have been convicted by court-martial.
228:
204:
71:
545:
166:
Jason and Nathan
Hubbard joined the Army after their brother Jared had died in
337:
555:
411:
220:
178:
317:
302:
353:""Keep your chin up." The Legacy of the Sullivan Brothers' Tragedy"
143:
546:
U.S. Navy policy regarding family members serving together at sea
319:
Valor of many stripes : remarkable
Americans in World War II
173:
Jeremy, Ben, and Beau Wise served in active combat roles in the
167:
426:"Monument in the works for Borgstrom brothers who died in WWII"
182:
551:
DoD Special
Separation Policies for Survivorship Directive
513:
DoD Special
Separation Policies for Survivorship Directive
90:
immediate discharge from the armed forces. Men undergoing
76:
periods of war or national emergency declared by Congress
466:"Double sacrifice: Family loses sons in Afghanistan"
386:
Public Law 92-129, 92nd Congress, September 28, 1971
322:. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 64.
160:, was loosely based on the Niland brothers' story.
127:post in Bethpage is named after their sacrifice.
571:Military 'sole survivors' bill goes to president
566:House OKs benefits for military 'sole survivors'
519:, this reference confirmed on 20 December 2013.
377:Public Law 80-759, 80th Congress, June 24, 1948
261:(1969) – deaths of three Sage brothers on USS
8:
207:and died of his injuries six days later at
306:, 25 August 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
138:, was later found to have been held in a
394:
392:
286:
507:
505:
503:
292:
290:
114:four brothers of the Borgstrom family
7:
556:Snopes article regarding this topic
517:United States Department of Defense
25:United States Department of Defense
14:
586:Conscription in the United States
209:Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
561:US 'sole survivor' to leave Iraq
533:"Sole Surviving Son or Daughter"
298:US 'sole survivor' to leave Iraq
591:United States military policies
464:NUSS, JEANNIE (11 March 2012).
119:The three Butehorn brothers of
400:Sole Surviving Son or Daughter
189:and was killed in 2009 when a
64:Military Selective Service Act
1:
596:Family in the United States
203:, was seriously wounded in
617:
359:. The National WWII Museum
259:collision § Aftermath
225:war or national emergency
196:. Later in 2012, Ben, an
47:were all killed when the
16:US draft-exemption policy
125:Veterans of Foreign Wars
538:1 January 2014 at the
405:1 January 2014 at the
29:United States military
316:Scott Baron (2019).
150:–winning film
136:U.S. Army Air Forces
70:In 1971, during the
62:Section 6(o) of the
21:Sole Survivor Policy
493:The Washington Post
357:salutetofreedom.org
274:Saving Private Ryan
227:as declared by the
198:Army Special Forces
187:military contractor
177:. Jeremy, a former
153:Saving Private Ryan
130:In the case of the
496:. 18 January 2014.
468:. Associated Press
428:. 10 November 2019
121:Bethpage, New York
329:978-1-4766-3508-8
194:attacked the base
84:missing in action
45:Sullivan brothers
608:
520:
509:
498:
497:
484:
478:
477:
475:
473:
461:
455:
444:
438:
437:
435:
433:
422:
416:
396:
387:
384:
378:
375:
369:
368:
366:
364:
348:
342:
341:
313:
307:
294:
158:Steven Spielberg
55:was sunk during
616:
615:
611:
610:
609:
607:
606:
605:
576:
575:
540:Wayback Machine
529:
524:
523:
510:
501:
486:
485:
481:
471:
469:
463:
462:
458:
445:
441:
431:
429:
424:
423:
419:
407:Wayback Machine
397:
390:
385:
381:
376:
372:
362:
360:
351:Gretchen Mohr.
350:
349:
345:
330:
315:
314:
310:
295:
288:
283:
248:
217:
140:prisoner of war
132:Niland brothers
103:
80:prisoner of war
41:
17:
12:
11:
5:
614:
612:
604:
603:
601:Sole survivors
598:
593:
588:
578:
577:
574:
573:
568:
563:
558:
553:
548:
543:
528:
527:External links
525:
522:
521:
499:
479:
456:
439:
417:
398:Powers, Rod; "
388:
379:
370:
343:
328:
308:
285:
284:
282:
279:
278:
277:
270:
265:
247:
244:
223:. In times of
216:
213:
191:suicide bomber
156:, directed by
102:
99:
40:
37:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
613:
602:
599:
597:
594:
592:
589:
587:
584:
583:
581:
572:
569:
567:
564:
562:
559:
557:
554:
552:
549:
547:
544:
542:by Rod Powers
541:
537:
534:
531:
530:
526:
518:
514:
508:
506:
504:
500:
495:
494:
489:
483:
480:
467:
460:
457:
453:
452:0-306-81355-6
449:
443:
440:
427:
421:
418:
414:
413:
408:
404:
401:
395:
393:
389:
383:
380:
374:
371:
358:
354:
347:
344:
339:
335:
331:
325:
321:
320:
312:
309:
305:
304:
299:
293:
291:
287:
280:
276:
275:
271:
269:
266:
264:
260:
258:
254:
250:
249:
245:
243:
239:
237:
236:court-martial
232:
230:
226:
222:
214:
212:
210:
206:
202:
199:
195:
192:
188:
184:
180:
176:
171:
169:
164:
161:
159:
155:
154:
149:
148:Academy Award
145:
141:
137:
133:
128:
126:
122:
117:
115:
111:
106:
100:
98:
95:
93:
92:court martial
87:
85:
81:
77:
73:
68:
65:
60:
58:
54:
52:
46:
38:
36:
34:
30:
26:
22:
491:
482:
470:. Retrieved
459:
442:
430:. Retrieved
420:
410:
382:
373:
361:. Retrieved
356:
346:
318:
311:
301:
272:
268:Bixby letter
262:
256:
252:
240:
233:
218:
201:combat medic
172:
165:
162:
151:
129:
118:
110:World War II
107:
104:
96:
88:
69:
61:
57:World War II
50:
42:
20:
18:
229:US Congress
215:Regulations
205:Afghanistan
181:, was at a
72:Vietnam War
580:Categories
338:1083224133
281:References
185:base as a
175:Afghan War
412:About.com
253:Melbourne
221:peacetime
179:Navy SEAL
536:Archived
403:Archived
303:BBC News
246:See also
142:camp in
101:Examples
363:21 June
53:(CL-52)
39:History
472:15 May
450:
432:3 June
336:
326:
146:. The
51:Juneau
263:Evans
257:Evans
144:Burma
33:draft
474:2016
448:ISBN
434:2020
365:2020
334:OCLC
324:ISBN
168:Iraq
49:USS
19:The
515:",
409:",
300:",
183:CIA
108:In
82:or
59:.
23:or
582::
502:^
490:.
391:^
355:.
332:.
289:^
112:,
511:"
476:.
454:.
436:.
415:.
367:.
340:.
296:"
255:–
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.