Post by bigdawgs on Feb 3, 2024 20:48:32 GMT -5
Today is memorable day in the history of the US Army Chaplain Corps.
3 FEBRUARY 1943 - FOUR CHAPLAINS DAY AND THE SINKING OF THE USAT DORCHESTER
On 3 February 1943, the troop transport ship USAT Dorchester was sailing across the North Atlantic when it was struck by a torpedo fired by a German U-Boat; as the ship sank, four U.S. Army Chaplains earned a place in Army History through their efforts to save as many lives as possible.
The Dorchester was travelling from Newfoundland to a U.S. base in Greenland and carried 902 servicemen, merchant seamen, and civilian workers. It was only 150 miles from its destination when shortly after midnight it was hit by a torpedo from U-223, striking the ship far below the water line.
The initial hit killed scores of men and seriously injured many others. Through the pandemonium, four Army Chaplains (1st Lieutenant George Fox, a Methodist minister; 1st Lieutenant Alexander Goode (PhD), a Reform rabbi; 1st Lieutenant John Washington, a Roman Catholic priest; and 1st Lieutenant Clark Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister) spread out among the Soldiers, calming the frightened, tending the wounded, and guiding the disoriented toward safety.
The chaplains handed out life jackets from storage lockers, even handing out their own once the rest had run out. One survivor later recalled, "It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven."
As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains, arms linked and braced against the slanting deck, offering prayers and singing hymns through the chaos. Of the 902 men aboard the Dorchester, only 230 survived.
The chaplains were posthumously decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart; Congressional efforts to award them the Medal of Honor were blocked by the award’s stringent requirements. So, a posthumous Special Medal for Heroism, “The Four Chaplains Medal,” was awarded to them on 18 January 1961. It was never given before and will never be given again.
3 FEBRUARY 1943 - FOUR CHAPLAINS DAY AND THE SINKING OF THE USAT DORCHESTER
On 3 February 1943, the troop transport ship USAT Dorchester was sailing across the North Atlantic when it was struck by a torpedo fired by a German U-Boat; as the ship sank, four U.S. Army Chaplains earned a place in Army History through their efforts to save as many lives as possible.
The Dorchester was travelling from Newfoundland to a U.S. base in Greenland and carried 902 servicemen, merchant seamen, and civilian workers. It was only 150 miles from its destination when shortly after midnight it was hit by a torpedo from U-223, striking the ship far below the water line.
The initial hit killed scores of men and seriously injured many others. Through the pandemonium, four Army Chaplains (1st Lieutenant George Fox, a Methodist minister; 1st Lieutenant Alexander Goode (PhD), a Reform rabbi; 1st Lieutenant John Washington, a Roman Catholic priest; and 1st Lieutenant Clark Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister) spread out among the Soldiers, calming the frightened, tending the wounded, and guiding the disoriented toward safety.
The chaplains handed out life jackets from storage lockers, even handing out their own once the rest had run out. One survivor later recalled, "It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven."
As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains, arms linked and braced against the slanting deck, offering prayers and singing hymns through the chaos. Of the 902 men aboard the Dorchester, only 230 survived.
The chaplains were posthumously decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart; Congressional efforts to award them the Medal of Honor were blocked by the award’s stringent requirements. So, a posthumous Special Medal for Heroism, “The Four Chaplains Medal,” was awarded to them on 18 January 1961. It was never given before and will never be given again.