The first Sunday in February is Four Chaplains Sunday. More than 79 years after
they made the supreme sacrifice, the story of these heroic chaplains – Methodist, Jewish,
Roman Catholic and Dutch Reformed – is still being told. The American Legion encourages
its post, district and department chaplains to conduct or participate in a
nondenominational service to honor the Four Chaplains and ensure their legacy of
brotherhood and selfless service is remembered.
Four Chaplains Story
On the evening of Feb. 2, 1943, USAT Dorchester was crowded to capacity, carrying 902
U.S troops, merchant seamen and civilian workers. Once a luxury coastal liner, the 5,649-
ton vessel had been converted into an Army transport ship. Dorchester, one of three ships
in the SG-19 convoy, was moving steadily across the icy waters from Newfoundland
toward a U.S. base in Greenland. Coast Guard cutters Tampa, Escanaba and Comanche
escorted the convoy. Hans Danielsen, the ship’s captain, was concerned and cautious
Earlier, Tampa had detected a submarine with its sonar. Danielsen knew he was in
dangerous waters even before he got the report. German U-boats were constantly
prowling these vital sea lanes, and several ships had already been sunk. Dorchester was
now only 150 miles from its destination, but the captain ordered the men to sleep in their
clothing and keep life jackets on. Many soldiers sleeping deep in the ship’s hold
disregarded the order because of the engine’s heat Others ignored it because the life
jackets were uncomfortable. On Feb. 3, at 12:55 a.m., a periscope broke the chilly Atlantic waters. Through the cross
hairs, an officer aboard U-223 spotted Dorchester. After identifying and targeting the ship,
he gave orders to fire a fan of three torpedoes. The one that hit was decisive and deadly,
striking the starboard side, amidship, far below the water line. Alerted that Dorchester was
sinking rapidly, Danielsen gave the order to abandon ship. In fewer than 20 minutes,
Dorchester would slip beneath the Atlantic’s icy waters. Tragically, the hit had knocked
out power and radio contact with the three escort ships. Tampa, however, saw the flash
of the explosion. It responded and rescued 97 survivors Escanaba circled Dorchester,
rescuing an additional 133 survivors (one died later). Comanche continued on, escorting
the remaining two ships. Aboard Dorchester, panic and chaos had set in. The blast had
killed scores of men, and many more were seriously wounded. Others, stunned by the
explosion, were groping in darkness. Those sleeping without clothing rushed topside,
where they were confronted first by a blast of icy Arctic air and then the knowledge that
death awaited. Men jumped from the ship into lifeboats, overcrowding them to the point
of capsizing, according to eyewitnesses. Other rafts tossed into the Atlantic, drifted away
before soldiers could get into them In the midst of the pandemonium, according to those
present, four Army chaplains brought hope in despair and light in darkness: Lt. George L.
Fox, a Methodist minister; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, a Jewish rabbi; Lt. John P. Washington,
a Roman Catholic priest; and Lt. Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister.
Quickly and quietly, the four chaplains spread out among the soldiers. They tried to calm
the frightened, tend the wounded, and guide the disoriented toward safety. “Witnesses
of that terrible night remember hearing the four men offer prayers for the dying and
encouragement for those who would live,” said Wyatt Fox, son of Reverend Fox.
One witness, Pvt. William Bednar, found himself floating in oil-smeared water surrounded
by dead bodies and debris. “I could hear men crying, pleading, praying,” Bednar recalled.
“I could also hear the chaplain’s preaching courage. Their voices were the only thing that
kept me going.”
A sailor, Petty Officer John Mahoney, tried to re-enter his cabin but was stopped by Rabbi
Goode concerned about the cold Arctic air, Mahoney explained that he’d forgotten his
gloves. “Never mind,” Goode responded. “I have two pairs.” The rabbi then gave the petty
officer his own gloves. Later, Mahoney realized that Goode hadn’t been carrying two pairs
of gloves, and that the chaplain had decided not to leave Dorchester.
By this time, most of the men were topside, and the chaplains opened a storage locker
and began distributing life jackets. It was then that engineer Grady Clark witnessed an
astonishing sight. When there were no more life jackets to hand out, the chaplains
removed theirs and gave them to four frightened young men. Rabbi Goode did not call
out for a Jew, and Father Washington did not call out for a Catholic. Nor did Rev. Fox and
Rev. Poling call out for a Protestant. They simply gave their life jackets to those next in
line.
“It was the finest thing I have ever seen or hope to see this side of heaven,’ said John Ladd,
another survivor who saw the chaplains’ selfless act. As the ship went down, survivors in
nearby rafts could see the four chaplains, braced against the slanting deck, arm in arm.
They were heard praying and singing hymns. Of the 902 men aboard Dorchester, 672
died. When the news reached the United States, the nation was stunned by the magnitude
of the tragedy and the heroic conduct of the four chaplains.
“Valor is a gift,” Carl Sandburg once said. “Those having it never know for sure whether
they have it until the test comes.” That night, Rev. Fox, Rabbi Goode, Rev. Poling and
Father Washington passed life’s ultimate test. In doing so, they became an enduring
example of extraordinary faith, courage and selflessness. In 1944, the Distinguished
Service Cross and Purple Heart were awarded posthumously to the chaplains’ next of kin,
and in 1961 President Eisenhower awarded a special Medal for Heroism, a one-time award
authorized by Congress and intended to have the same weight and importance as the
Medal of Honor.