Four Chaplains Day
February 3rd is Four Chaplains day. Since my husband is a military chaplain this story has always been very touching to me. I hope you enjoy it and will share it with others.
On the evening of Feb. 2, 1943, the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, overcrowded with 902 servicemen, merchant seamen & civilian workers, was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Newfoundland. The transport sank in fire & smoke in 27 minutes. The ship’s crew launched lifeboats & rafts. Many servicemen jumped into the water. Two of the three escort ships, the Coast Guard cutters Comanche & Escanaba, circled the Dorchester rescuing 231 survivors. The third cutter, CGC Tampa, continued on, escorting the remaining two ships in the convoy. According to those present, four Army chaplains aboard the Dorchester brought hope in despair & light in darkness.It the ensuing chaos, four chaplains: a priest, a rabbi and two protestant ministers; distributed life jackets. Quickly & quietly the four chaplains spread out among the soldiers. There they tried to calm the frightened, tend the wounded & guide the disoriented toward safety. When most of the men were topside, the chaplains opened a storage locker & began distributing life jackets. When there were no more lifejackets in the locker, the chaplains removed theirs & gave them to four frightened young men. As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains-arms linked & braced against the slanting deck. Their voices could also be heard offering prayers.
On February 7, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower remarked: “And we remember that, only a decade ago, aboard the transport Dorchester, four chaplains of four faiths together willingly sacrificed their lives so that four others might live. In the three centuries that separate the Pilgrims of the Mayflower from the chaplains of the Dorchester, America’s freedom, her courage, her strength, and her progress have had their foundation in faith.” Eisenhower concluded: “Today as then, there is need for positive acts of renewed recognition that faith is our surest strength, our greatest resource.”
Excerpt from American Minute
For more information on this great story visit, The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation. They have photos of these chaplains and much more.
Posted in Conservative, Military
February 4th, 2008 at 2:56 am
Hi Kristine – just dropping by – funny that we both have the Four Chaplains on our blogs today – I think per chance the story touches a chord.
February 4th, 2008 at 2:57 am
Hey – I just thought of something – if your dh is in CPE you should get orders soon – how exciting. We had heard a rumor we’d be movin this summer but have now heard that if you’ve not been in your assignment for 4 years, they really aren’t moving you. So…we are staying another year. Which works well. But I’m always up for excitement. LOL