World War II
saw the use of German submarines
throughout the Atlantic
to stop the transport of men
and material
from America to England.
The waters from America
passing near Greenland
and on to England
soon earned the nickname
Torpedo Alley.
February 1943
was an icy cold time in
Torpedo Alley
and the waters were just above freezing.
On the early morning of
February 3,
USS Dorchester
a converted luxury coastal liner
into a troop carrier
was 150 miles
from Greenland
with 900 sailors,
soldiers
and civilian workers.
Silently,
the
Dorchester
and five other ships
were making their way to
Greenland.
At 1:00 AM
the German submarine
U-223
fired three torpedoes.
One torpedo hitting
the Dorchester
a mid-ship
below the water line
causing a tremendous explosion,
fire and death.
In less than 30 minutes
the ship settled
to the bottom of the Atlantic.
230 survivors
were picked up by two escort ships
making this the
third largest loss of life
in American Naval warfare
during WWII.
There were
four Chaplains
on theDorchesterthat morning.
All
four Chaplains
distinguished themselves
as they stepped forward
with the ship ablaze
and the abandon ship horn sounding
they stood their ground
and began praying for the men
THIS WAS KINGDOM BUSINESS
many of those
they were praying
for would not make it.
One witness
Private William B. Bednar,
found himself floating in
oil-smeared water
surrounded by dead bodies
and debris.
"I could hear men crying,
pleading, praying,"
Bednar recalls.
"I could also hear the
chaplains
preaching courage.
Their voices were the only thing that kept me going."
The four chaplains were:
Lt. George L. Fox,
Methodist
Lt. Alexander D. Goode
Jewish
Lt. Clark V. Poling,
Dutch Reformed
Lt. John P. Washington,
Roman Catholic
"Witnesses of that terrible night
remember hearing the
four men
offer prayers
for the dying
and encouragement
for those who would live,"
says Wyatt R. Fox,
son of Reverend Fox.
Another sailor,
Petty Officer John J. Mahoney,
tried to re-enter his cabin
but was stopped by
Rabbi Goode.
Mahoney,
concerned about the cold Arctic air,
explained he had forgotten his gloves.
"Never mind,"
Goode responded.
"I have two pairs."
The Rabbi
then gave
the petty officer
his own gloves.
In retrospect,
Mahoney
realized that
Rabbi Goode
was not conveniently carrying
two pairs of gloves,
and that the
rabbi
had decided
not
to leave the
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
lifejackets
in the storage room,
the chaplains
removed theirs
and gave them to
four frightened young men.
"It was the finest thing
I have seen or hope to see
this side of heaven,"
said John Ladd,
another survivor
When last seen all
four Chaplains
were arm in arm
as the ship sank
and the sea rolled over them.
The
four Chaplains
on the
Dorchester
their story
their bravery
and love
for their fellowmen has survived
in stain glass windows
at the West Point Chapel,
in the Pentagon
and the Chapel
at Fort Snelling, Minnesota.
A posthumous Special Medal for Heroism,
never before given
and never to be given again,
was authorized by Congress
and awarded by
President Eisenhower
in 1961.
Prayer:
Father,
thank you for Memorial Day
each year
where we can show
our appreciation
for all those who gave their lives
so freedom rings.
In the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen!

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