Private Sullivan was a member of the 63rd Field Artillery Battalion, 24th Infantry Division. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting the enemy near Taejon, South Korea, on 20 July 1950 and died while a prisoner on 18 October 1950.

Sullivan was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.