Photo By Sgt. Terron Williams | U.S. Army Maj. Ryan Lewis, 13th Armored Corps Sustainment Command's deputy command...... read more read more
FORT CAVAZOS, Texas. - Sailing from Newfoundland to Greenland on Feb. 2, 1943, the 368-foot U.S. Army Transport ship Dorchester carrying about 904 people through icy seas infested with German U-boats was torpedoed after midnight in the Labrador Sea near Greenland.
The torpedo struck the engine room, disabling all electric power on the ship. Without power, there was no way for the crew to send a radio distress signal.
Amid panic rising throughout the ship, many tried to escape before it sunk. There were four chaplains who banded together with faith to make a huge sacrifice that went on to save the lives of many.
The chaplains were Methodist Minister Lt. George L. Fox, Rabbi Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Catholic Priest Lt. John P. Washington and Dutch Reformed Church Minister Lt. Clark V. Poling.
They quickly spread out among the crowd, working to calm frightened Soldiers and evacuate those aboard safely to the remaining lifeboats.
“I could hear men crying, pleading, praying,” said Pvt. William B. Bednar, a survivor aboard the Dorchester. “I could also hear the chaplains preaching courage to the men.”
As the ship sank, the chaplains started handing out life preservers from the storage lockers on-board until the supply exhausted.
Then, the chaplains gave up their own preservers while continuing to assist the Soldiers to lifeboats until there was no more space.
During the ship’s last moments above water, the chaplains banded together with the remaining crew members.
“They were standing there on the deck praying hand in hand as our lifeboat drifted out of sight,” said Daniel O’Keefe, another survivor of the Dorchester.
In the final minutes before the Dorchester sunk, the chaplains could be seen singing prayers and hymns with the remaining members of the crew, lit under the stars.
“It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven,” said John Ladd, another survivor from the Dorchester.
Out of the 904 service members on board, 675 drowned or died of hypothermia amongst the frigid waters.
Due to the selfless act of the chaplains, many were able to escape the ship.
“All four of those chaplains had life vests to begin with, and at some point, all four made some sort of determination that somebody else’s need was greater than theirs,” said Maj. Ryan Lewis, 13th Armored Corps Sustainment Command’s deputy command chaplain.
On Dec. 19, 1944, the chaplains were all posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart for their sacrifices aboard the Dorchester.
The Four Chaplains Medal, also known as the Chaplains Medal of Honor, was created in remembrance of their sacrifice, approved by Congress on July 14, 1960 and posthumously awarded to their next of kins.
On Feb. 3, 1951, President Harry S. Truman dedicated the Chapel of Four Chaplains in Philadelphia. Since then, interfaith memorial services are held around the nation each year on Feb. 3 to honor the sacrifice of the four chaplains.
Serving as spiritual counselor for Soldiers and their families, the Chaplain Corps today continues to place the needs of others above their own.
“Soldier’s issues don’t come in on regularly scheduled intervals, they just happen, said Lewis. “Yes, this is inconvenient, but this Soldier is in need and I’m going to meet their need.”
| Date Taken: | 02.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.03.2025 16:03 |
| Story ID: | 490005 |
| Location: | FORT CAVAZOS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 182 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Honoring Sacrifice: The Story of Four Chaplains Day and Their Heroic Legacy, by SGT Terron Williams, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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