The Story of the Four Chaplains
Author: Tony Wagner, American Legion Post 42
The Story of the Four Chaplains
Tony Wagner
American Legion Post 42
Every year, the American Legion honors these Four Chaplains whose abridged story is told below. This year the ceremony will be held on Saturday, February 3rd at 11 am at the Trailhead Church in Townsend. Please come and attend this important and moving ceremony. A free taco bar lunch will follow the ceremony.
On Feb. 3, at 12:55 a.m., a periscope broke the chilly Atlantic waters. Through the crosshairs, 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 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 consoled the troops and handed out life jackets.
When there were no more life jackets to hand out, the chaplains removed theirs and gave them to four frightened young men. “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.
