Interfaith Immortals: The Four Chaplains



The Four Chaplains   (U.S. Pentagon)

There once lived four chaplains of different faiths or denominations.  One was a rabbi, another was a Roman Catholic priest.  The third was a Methodist minister, and the fourth was a Reformed Church of America minister.

These gentlemen did not know one another until they were brought together at the Army Chaplains School at Harvard University.  It was 1942, and World War II was raging.  The four were reunited shortly thereafter when they were all sent to the European theater aboard the United States Army Transport (USAT) Dorchester.

This 5,649-ton former luxury liner was 368 feet long.

The Dorchester left New York City on January 23, 1943 with the four chaplains and approximately 900 others on board.  The unbeknown-to-most destination was Greenland.  Because there had been reports of German U-boats in the area, Captain Hans J. Danielsen had ordered the ship’s crew to sleep in their life jackets

on deck.  Many ignored this because it was warmer below deck, and because the life jackets were uncomfortable.

When the ship was torpedoed by the U-223 off the coast of Newfoundland, the Dorchester’s electrical

system was knocked out.  The ship went dark, and many – including those who were now trapped below

deck - panicked.  The chaplains banded together to help organize an evacuation.  They began ushering

people on deck and handing out life jackets.

When there weren’t nearly enough life jackets to go around, the chaplains gave up their own.  After assisting as many as they could into the lifeboats, the chaplains joined hands.  They had remained on board so that others might live, and - in their last remaining earthly moments - sought to console all those who also didn’t escape.

Survivors from the lifeboats recalled hearing a glorious intermingling of Hebrew, Latin and English prayers right before the ship took its final plunge into the frigid waters of the North Atlantic.

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Chaplains

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_L._Fox

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_D._Goode

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_V._Poling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_P._Washington

Copyright February 6, 2011 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved