Today is Four Chaplains Day in remembrance of the four US Army chaplains who died on this day.
It is also a day to honor our military chaplains.
I read about this tragedy in Sea of Glory by Ken Wales and Dave Poling.
On February 3, 1943, during World War II, our grandfather and the Marines were still on Cape Gloucester in the Pacific, when four Army chaplains displayed extraordinary bravery and self-sacrifice as the USS Dorchester sank in the North Atlantic after being torpedoed by a German submarine.
In WWII, German submarines were prowling the east coast of the United States into the North Atlantic.
The USS Dorchester, was a civilian ship that became a troop transport ship carrying over 900 soldiers. It was en route to Greenland when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.
Within 20 minutes, the ship sank beneath the icy waves, claiming hundreds of lives.
The Four Chaplains—Lieutenant George L. Fox (Methodist), Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode (Jewish), Lieutenant Clark V. Poling (Dutch Reformed), and Lieutenant John P. Washington (Catholic)—were Army chaplains serving aboard the USS Dorchester to provide spiritual support to the troops.
When the torpedo struck, chaos and panic gripped the ship.
Men scrambled to find lifeboats and life vests as freezing water rushed in. In this moment of terror, the chaplains sprang into action, offering words of encouragement, guiding soldiers to safety, and distributing life vests to those in need.
When the supply of life vests ran out, the chaplains made the ultimate sacrifice. Without hesitation, each man removed his own life vest and gave it to a soldier who had none.
As the ship sank, survivors in lifeboats and the freezing ocean saw the chaplains standing arm in arm on the deck, praying together and singing hymns.
Their faith and courage provided a beacon of hope even in the face of certain death.
Of the 902 men aboard the Dorchester, only 230 survived. The Four Chaplains were among those lost, but their legacy endured.
In 1948, the U.S. Congress authorized a special posthumous award, the Four Chaplains’ Medal, to honor their sacrifice.
The Four Chaplains’ courage continues to be commemorated each year on February 3, known as Four Chaplains Day. Their sacrifice remains a testament to the highest ideals of duty and devotion, transcending religious and cultural differences in service to humanity.
#NeverForget 🇺🇸🙏🙏🙏🙏
