Four Chaplains Day: A Day of Faith, Sacrifice and Service
“Four Chaplains Day” might be the most important (and inspirational) military holiday Americans have never heard of. The U.S. military has celebrated it since 1951, even if the story has grown dusty and dark with time.
February 3 is “Four Chaplains Day.”
It’s the tale of the day the U.S.A.T. Dorchester–packed with over 900 men–was hit by a Nazi torpedo.
On February 3, 1943, a surprise attack killed several soldiers and trapped others as a ship sank in icy waters off Greenland. Chaos erupted in the North Atlantic as men scrambled for survival. Lifeboats were deployed, but not everyone secured a seat.
Meanwhile, four Dorchester chaplains consoled the panicked servicemen.
Eyewitnesses in the lifeboats observed the four chaplains, all lieutenants, linking arms as they prayed and quoted Scripture, demonstrating their unwavering faith. After saving as many men as they could, these brave faith leaders went down with the ship, embodying courage and sacrifice in their final moments.
“Just before our ship went down, these chaplains took off their own life preservers and gave them to us,” shared Daniel O’Keefe, a 19-year old survivor. “They were standing on the deck praying hand in hand as our lifeboat drifted out of sight.”
Lt. George L. Fox
George Fox signed up for duty soon after Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. “I’ve got to go,” he told Isadora, his wife. “I know from experience what those boys are about to face. They need me.” He was 42 years old and it wasn’t Fox’s first time to serve his country.
Fox, a native of Lewistown, PA, enlisted in World War I by lying about his age. At just 17, he signed up and served admirably as a medical assistant and ambulance driver, demonstrating his dedication during the war.
After the war, Fox completed his education and married. Feeling a calling to serve as a clergyman, he graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University and furthered his studies at Boston University School of Theology. On June 10, 1934, he was ordained in the Methodist Church.
Fox began active duty as a military chaplain on Aug. 8, 1942.
Lt. Alexander D. Goode
Alexander Goode, originally from Brooklyn, NY, was an accomplished scholar and athlete. As a child, he heroically extinguished a kitchen fire to save his home. Despite his talents and opportunities, Goode’s true aspiration was to become a rabbi, following in his father’s footsteps.
Following high school, Goode attended Hebrew Union College in New York for his rabbinical education. After ordination in 1937, he served at Temple Beth Israel in York, PA. He later earned a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern languages from Johns Hopkins University. After Pearl Harbor, he enlisted as an Army Air Forces chaplain, requesting a front-line assignment.
According to Rabbi Philip S. Bernstein, only weeks after the Dorchester went down, “[Goode] believed that life would not be worth living in a world under Axis domination, and he was prepared to sacrifice even life itself for the cause of human freedom.”
He left behind a wife (Theresa) and preschool daughter (Rosalie).
Lt. Clark V. Poling
Clark V. Poling was a seven-generation Dutch Reformed clergyman. He was the youngest of the four chaplains, ordained into ministry as a man of the cloth in 1936.
At his ordination, his reverend father Daniel counseled Clark:“I do not wish for you a life of ease nor do I desire to see you free from suffering and heartache. Rather do I desire for you a life of real conflict against the forces of evil. Be true to your calling,” Prior to entering the military as a chaplain in World War 2, Poling served as minister for the First Dutch Reformed Church of Schenectady, NY.
Poling’s life is summarized in a wish he carried for his life: “Just that I shall do my duty and have the strength, courage, and understanding of men. Just pray that I shall be adequate.”
Lt. John P. Washington
John P. Washington came from Irish stock in New Jersey. Born into a large Roman Catholic family, Washington distinguished himself through his love of music. He sang in his church’s choir and played piano.
After high school, he attended and graduated from Seton Hall, before finishing his priesthood studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, NJ.
Once ordained, Washington served as an assistant priest at St. Stephen’s Church in Kearny, NJ. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Navy but was rejected for having bad vision. So he joined the Army in May 1942.
The Four Chaplains
These four army chaplains–a Roman Catholic priest, Jewish rabbi, Dutch Reformed pastor and Methodist clergyman–became fast friends at Camp Myles Standish. They soon learned their assignment to overseas duty would be on a former luxury liner named the USAT Dorchester. On the night of February 3, 1943 this ship carried 902 servicemen, merchant seamen and civilian workers.
The U.S.A.T. Dorchester sank in 27 minutes. The chaplains had no chance of survival without life vests. Only 231 servicemen survived that tragedy in the icy North Atlantic Ocean. Sadly, 675 others died by either drowning or hypothermia. It was a horrific, terrible tragedy.
The four chaplains were each posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart. Congress also tried to award the Medal of Honor to these four chaplains but medal rules were strict and prohibitive. So instead they authorized a Special Medal for Heroism, first awarded by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1961.
On Feb. 3, 1951, President Harry S. Truman dedicated the Chapel of Four Chaplains in Philadelphia, PA. To honor military chaplains and the sacrifices of these original four, interfaith memorial services are held every February 3 across the United States.
In 1998, the U.S. Congress designated February 3 as “Four Chaplains Day.”
Very interesting. Thank you for bringing attention to that “dusty” bit of history. I won’t soon forget it.
Thanks for this inspiring history lesson!