A solemn ceremony was held on Saturday at Post 80 to commemorate the sacrifice of four Army chaplains who died in World War II.
The evening of Feb. 3, 1943, found the United States Army Transport Dorchester sailing the frigid waters of the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, headed for an American base in Greenland. Part of a three-ship convoy, there were 902 servicemen on board the Dorchester.
A torpedo from a German submarine struck the Dorchester’s engine room, and the ship sank in just 20 minutes. 668 soldiers perished, along with four military chaplains of different faiths: Rev. George Fox (Methodist), Jewish Rabbi Alexander Goode, Rev. Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed), and Fr. John Washington (Roman Catholic).
Those four chaplains helped wounded service members to lifeboats and distributed life jackets. After all the ship’s life jackets had been distributed, the chaplains gave their own life jackets to other soldiers. Eyewitnesses said the four chaplains could be seen by flare light on the sinking ship, their arms linked together, and the sounds of Hebrew, Latin, and English prayers were heard, along with singing. Since that day, the chaplains have been known as the “Four Chaplains” and “The Immortal Chaplains.”
Saturday’s guest speaker was Barry Roberts, the chaplain for the American Legion Department of Florida, who traveled to St. Cloud from Lake City for the observance.
“Each of the four chaplains on that day knew they had about 20 minutes to live. Close your eyes and think about what you would do if you knew you had only twenty minutes to live. They not only gave away their life jackets, but they also chose to spend the time they had left by giving hope to the living and comfort to the dying,” said Roberts.
Among the Four Chaplains, Rev. Fox had lied about his age to enlist as an Army medic in World War One. He was wounded and received the Silver Star medal for heroism. As a young man in 1921, Rabbi Goode walked fifteen miles to Arlington National Cemetery to be part of the internment of the Unknown Soldier from World War I and served in the National Guard before the outbreak of World War II. Reverend Poling’s father had served as a frontline Army Chaplain in World War I.
A Special Medal for Heroism for the Four Chaplains was authorized by Congress and awarded by President Eisenhower, former Supreme Commander of Allied Forces during the war, on January 18, 1961. The special medal was intended to have the same prominence and importance as the Medal of Honor.
U.S. military chaplains are all commissioned officers, but along with medical personnel are considered “non-combatants.” Their role is to be a familiar, friendly face to help spiritually guide or otherwise assist military personnel as professional counselors wherever they are. They are trained to minister to individuals across multiple faiths as well as provide the religious services of their own faith. Over 400 chaplains have died in combat since the start of the Civil War, and nine chaplains have been awarded the Medal of Honor.
For more on the Four Chaplains story, see https://bit.ly/3UnqdeM
