MILTON — Friday, American Legion Post 78 will present its traditional memorial service for four U.S. Army chaplains who gave their lives to save others.
The service will begin 6 p.m. Feb. 2 at Avalon Baptist Church, 4316 Avalon Blvd., Milton. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.
On Feb. 2, 1943, the U.S.A.T. Dorchester was crowded to capacity, carrying 902 service men, merchant seamen and civilian workers. Once a luxury coastal liner, the 5,649-ton vessel had been converted into an Army transport ship.
The Dorchester, one of three ships in the SG-19 convoy, moved steadily across the icy waters from Newfoundland toward an American base in Greenland. Coast Guard Cutters Tampa, Escanaba and Comanche escorted SG-19.
On Feb. 3, at 12:55 a.m., a periscope broke the chilly Atlantic waters. Through the crosshairs, an officer aboard the German submarine U-223 spotted the Dorchester. The U-223 approached the convoy on the surface, and after identifying and targeting the ship, he gave orders to fire the torpedoes, and a fan of three were fired.
The one that hit was decisive — and deadly — striking the starboard side, amid ship, far below the water line. Aboard the Dorchester, panic and chaos had set in. The blast had killed scores of men, and many more were seriously wounded.
Through the pandemonium, according to those present, four Army chaplains brought hope in despair and light in darkness. Those chaplains were Lt. George L. Fox, a Methodist; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, who was Jewish; Lt. John P. Washington, a Roman Catholic; and Lt. Clark V. Poling, who was Dutch Reformed.
Quickly and quietly, the four chaplains spread out among the soldiers. There they tried to calm the frightened, tend the wounded and guide the disoriented toward safety.
As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains’ arms linked and braced against the slanting deck. Their voices could also be heard offering prayers.
Of the 902 men aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, 672 died, leaving 230 survivors. When the news reached American shores, the nation was stunned by the magnitude of the tragedy and 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, Reverend Fox, Rabbi Goode, Reverend Poling and Father Washington passed life’s ultimate test.
In doing so, they became an enduring example of extraordinary faith, courage and selflessness.
WHAT: American Legion Post 78 memorial service
WHEN: 6 p.m. Feb. 2
WHERE: Avalon Baptist Church, 4316 Avalon Blvd., Milton
WANT TO GO?
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: American Legion to honor four chaplains