WATERLOO -- Critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns' company has issued an official statement of apology through Iowa Public Television for misidentifying the hometown of Waterloo's five Sullivan brothers in the documentary, "The War," airing this week on IPTV.

The statement mirrors an apology earlier this week from the documentary's Emmy Award-winning co-producer and co-director, Lynn Novick, in an e-mail correspondence to The Courier the morning after the erroneous information aired in the series' initial episode.

"Please accept our deepest apologies regarding the Sullivan family's hometown," the statement from Burns' Florentine Films reads. "The Sullivan Brothers were from Waterloo Iowa, not Fredericksburg, Iowa. The story of the Sullivan Brothers is an important part of Waterloo's history and of our country's history, which is why we mention it in Episode One of THE WAR. We go to great pains to check the facts in all of our films and everyone at Florentine Films is sincerely sorry that this mistake was made."

Novick, who visited Waterloo more than five years ago when research for "The War" began, indicated to the Courier she would check to see if a correction could be made upon rebroadcast or DVD release of the documentary. The official statement makes no reference to a correction.

The error received considerable publicity in state media and beyond, even appearing on USA Today's Internet site after it was initially reported in The Courier Monday. It received wider play after U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Waterloo got into the act, notifying state media he had written Burns to point out the inaccuracy.

The apology statement is also available at IPTV's Web site, Iptv.org, along with a link to the Grout Museum in Waterloo with information about the brothers. The Grout is in the middle of an $11.5 million expansion to construct a Sullivan Brothers Iowa veterans history expansion, scheduled to open in late 2008.

"Its unfortunate, but I'm pleased IPTV is going to do what the said they would do," said Grout executive director Billie Bailey. "That will direct a few people to our Web site, which can't hurt. Once more, it gives more attention to the whole topic," of the urgency in documenting World War II history, "and emphasizes we all need to go out and collect these stories before they're all completely gone."

George, Francis, Joseph, Madison and Albert Sullivan of Waterloo died after their ship, the USS Juneau, was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine while returning with other battle-damaged American ships from a nighttime ship-to-ship firefight during the Battle of Guadalcanal on Nov. 13, 1942. The five brothers' deaths are believed to be the greatest combat-related loss of life by a single family in a single engagement in American military history. Two Navy ships have been named for the brothers, including one commissioned in 1997 which has seen service in the Persian Gulf.

Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1484 or Pat.Kinney@wcfcourier.com.