[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E156]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           THE FOUR CHAPLAINS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 4, 1997

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize the legacy of the four 
chaplains who gave their lives for others in the icy waters of the 
North Atlantic over 50 years ago. On the night of February 2, 1943 
aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, four chaplains--George L. Fox and Clark 
V. Poling, Protestant ministers; Alexander D. Goode, a Jewish rabbi; 
and John P. Washington, a Catholic priest--gave their life vests to 
four other men after their ship was torpedoed off the coast of 
Greenland.
  The Dorchester, carrying 902 servicemen, merchant seamen and civilian 
workers, was one of three ships in the SG-19 convoy moving across the 
icy waters from Newfoundland toward an Army base in Greenland. The 
ship's captain, Hans J. Danielsen, recognized the danger of the trip, 
as the stretch of water in the North Atlantic was constantly patroled 
by German U-boats and one of the ships in the convoy, the Coast Guard 
Cutter Tampa, had detected a submarine with its sonar earlier in the 
day. At 12:55 a.m. on the morning of February 3, a German U-boat 
spotted the Dorchester only 15 miles away from its final destination 
and fired a deadly barrage of torpedoes. The hit was decisive, striking 
the starboard side, far below the water line.
  Aboard the Dorchester, chaos set in. The direct hit had killed 
several men instantly, while others were seriously wounded. Throughout 
all of the pandemonium, according to those present, the four Army 
chaplains brought hope in despair and light in darkness. When the 
chaplains opened a storage locker and began distributing life jackets, 
they realized that there would not be enough for all the men aboard the 
ship. When there were no more life jackets in the storage room, the 
chaplains removed theirs and gave them to four frightened young men.
  As the ship went down, survivors in the nearby rafts could see the 
four chaplains--arms linked and braced against the slanting deck. 
According to eyewitnesses, the chaplains were heard offering prayers 
for the soldiers who had died in the wreckage. Of the 902 men aboard 
the ship, 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. As Francis B. Thorton notes 
in his book, Sea of Glory: The Magnificent Story of the Four 
Chaplains, ``Catholic, Jew and Protestant; each proved that night that 
courage knows no distinction of creed, bravery no division of caste.''

  The four Army chaplains were posthumously awarded the Distinguished 
Service Cross and Purple Heart at a ceremony at Fort Myer, VA in 1944. 
Since these events, a chapel in Philadelphia honoring their heroic act 
of selflessness was dedicated by President Truman in February of 1951 
and the chaplains were posthumously awarded a Special Medal for Heroism 
in January of 1961 by President Kennedy. Additionally, a memorial 
fountain at the National Memorial Park outside of Washington, DC was 
constructed in 1955 to attest to their extraordinary act of courage.
  On February 2nd, the members of the Rockland County American Legion 
and the Orange County American Legion held their annual service to 
honor these heroic four chaplains.
  The services had been organized in Rockland County by Joseph Vitulli, 
commander of the Rockland County American Legion, and Peter Medina, who 
serves as the chaplain and chairman. These services were conducted at 
St. Joseph's Church in Spring Valley, NY.
  In Orange County, they were organized by former American Legion 
County Commander Roy Cowen, who read the saga of the Four Chaplains at 
the services conducted at St. Patrick's Church in Highland Falls.
  The chaplains remain an enduring example of extraordinary faith, 
courage and selflessness.
  On the night of February 2, 1943, Rev. Fox, Rabbi Goode, Rev. Poling, 
and Father Washington passed life's ultimate test. Mr. Speaker, I 
invite my colleagues to join in the commemoration of their heroic act 
of courage which we remember this month.

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