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USS The Sullivans visit Gladbrook’s Matchstick Marvels

Veterans of the USS The Sullivans with a model of the ship they served on. –Photo courtesy of Matchstick Marvels Museum
Active crew members of the USS The Sullivans shown with the scale model of the original ship. Included in the photo: Kelly Sullivan (left), granddaughter of Albert Sullivan, and creator of the model, Pat Acton (right). –Photo courtesy of Lisa Reinhard
Active sailors on the new Iowa submarine SSN 797 pictured on Sunday, August 7, in Gladbrook with Pat Acton's matchstick model of the USS Iowa battleship. –Photo courtesy of Matchstick Marvels Museum

Matchstick Marvels Museum in Gladbrook hosted crew members of the USS The Sullivans and the USS Iowa along with Veterans of the USS The Sullivans this past Sunday, August 7.

The group reunited as part of Iowa’s Irish Fest which was held in Cedar Falls over the weekend. The year 2022 marks 80 years since all five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo lost their lives during World War II when the USS Juneau on which they were serving sank after being hit more than once by a Japanese torpedo on ​​November 13, 1942, near the Solomon Islands.

Showcased during the group’s trip to the Gladbrook museum were models of USS The Sullivans and USS Iowa created by artist Pat Acton. Acton has been creating scale models out of matchsticks for the past 45 years with the museum housing many of his creations.

Many of Acton’s other models are displayed in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! locations around the world.

Matchstick Marvels Museum is located in Gladbrook, Iowa, at 319 Second Street. The museum is open seven days a week from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (April 1 through November 30) or by appointment.

For more information about the museum, visit the website “https://www.matchstickmarvels.com/the-museum/”>https://www.matchstickmarvels.com/the-museum/

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