Clemson lends graduate’s Medal of Honor to National Medal of Honor Museum

Representatives from Clemson University Special Collections and Archives, Clemson Corps, Clemson's ROTC program and Student Affairs gathered in the Strom Thurmond Center for a handover ceremony as Special Collections and Archives lends a Medal of Honor from their collection - one of the rarest artifacts under its care - to the National Medal of Honor Museum on Friday, October 25, 2024.

Clemson College alumnus Daniel A.J. Sullivan 1902 received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, for extraordinary heroism during WWI as an officer aboard the USS Christabel destroyer on May 21, 1918.

Sullivan's medal is one of the rarest Medals of Honor designs, the Tiffany Cross. Designed by the Tiffany Company in 1919, fewer than 30 of the medals were awarded before the design was changed in 1942.

Greg Waters (right), director of curatorial affairs for the National Medal of Honor Museum, looks on as Clemson's dean of libraries Christopher Cox signs one of the agreement forms.

"We are very proud to be able to share the story of one of our great alumni and his heroism, which saved lives on a ship USS Cristobal during World War I," said Dean of Libraries Christopher Cox. "Preserving and sharing Clemson University's history is a big part of what we do with the libraries, and military heritage is an important part of that history. We're honored to be able to loan this rare Tiffany Cross Medal of Honor to the National Medal of Honor Museum and contribute to the understanding and appreciation of our nation's military.

"We know that the National Medal of Honor Museum will be excellent stewards of this important piece of history, and we're excited to partner with them on this journey."

Medals of Honor are not "won" but earned. Therefore, they are referred to as Medal of Honor recipients, not "winners." The medal can only be draped over the recipient's neck by the sitting President of the United States, and the criteria to qualify for the honor are so stringent that it sometimes takes decades for them to be approved.

A laminated photograph from the Clemson University archives shows a photo of Daniel Sullivan, his Medal of Honor citation from the Navy, and the Medal of Honor itself between.

Greg Waters, director of curatorial affairs for the museum, traveled from his home in Arlington, Texas, to sign the paperwork and receive the medal from Cox during the short ceremony. Waters said the push for establishing a National Medal of Honor Museum has been happening for about six years, with ground broken about two years ago.

"There's a major fundraising effort, obviously, to build a museum with this size and scope," said Waters. "To date, we've raised about $260 million. We're in the final six-month sprint to opening, which is scheduled in March 2025."

Waters said the museum is a 501c3 nonprofit and has received no federal or state money. Individuals and corporations have entirely funded it.

The museum is on a piece of land adjacent to the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers stadiums in the entertainment district of downtown Arlington, which hosts more than 13 million people annually.

"If we can tap into a small percentage of those numbers, we'll be in excellent shape," said Waters. "And we can educate them about the Medal and its significance."

Dean of Libraries Christopher Cox (second from right) offers some remarks before the handover.

Sullivan's Medal of Honor is the 43rd that the museum has procured for its exhibits.

"That sounds pretty impressive, which I think it is," said Waters. "But also, I always remind myself, there are 3,519 recipients in all of time, so that represents about one percent of all the medals that are out there. One of the challenges of my job is that we have 3,519 of the most incredible stories - and they're all incredible - and we are just trying to figure out the right way to tell them all and how to connect with our visitors."

According to Waters, there are only 60 living Medal of Honor recipients.

Sullivan's Medal of Honor citation reads:

"For extraordinary heroism as an officer of the USS Christobel in conflict with an enemy submarine on May 21, 1918, when, as a result of the explosion of a depth bomb dropped near the submarine, the Christobel was so badly shaken that a number of depth charges which had been set for firing were thrown about the deck and there was imminent danger that they would explode. Ensign Sullivan immediately fell on the depth charges and succeeded in securing them, thus saving the ship from disaster which would inevitably have involved great loss of life."

Sullivan died at age 56 in 1942 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

A close-up of Daniel Sullivan's Medal of Honor.

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