[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 7, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S385-S386]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         REMEMBERING FOUR CHAPLAINS OF THE USAT ``DORCHESTER''

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to four 
American heroes who embody the spirit of what it means to serve your 
fellow man. Those heroes are the four Army chaplains who served on 
board the United States Transport Ship Dorchester in 1943--Methodist 
Minister Reverend George L. Fox, Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Roman 
Catholic Priest John P. Washington, and Reformed Church in America 
minister Reverend Clark V. Poling.
  On February 2, 1943, the Dorchester was making its way across the 
North Atlantic, carrying 904 service men, merchant seamen, and civilian 
workers. This area was under constant patrol by German submarines; it 
was a dangerous area for American vessels and several ships had already 
been sunk between Newfoundland and Greenland, the Dorchester's intended 
destination. At 12:55 a.m. on February 3, a German U-boat spotted the 
Dorchester and fired 3 torpedoes at the American ship, delivering a 
fatal blow.
  The Dorchester began to take on water and would sink beneath the 
freezing ocean in under 25 minutes. Many had been killed or injured in 
the initial blast, and panic set in as the passengers and crew 
attempted to find life vests and get into lifeboats. Many of the 
surviving passengers recall the calm disposition of the four chaplains 
who made their way to a storage locker and handed out lifejackets. When 
there were no more lifejackets, the chaplains removed their own and 
gave them to four passengers who were without. Rabbi Goode was seen 
giving away his only pair of gloves, and throughout the chaos and panic 
survivors could hear the chaplains preaching courage as the ship went 
down.
  There were not enough rubber suits onboard to protect the passengers 
from the frigid North Atlantic waters. Of the 14 lifeboats aboard, only 
2 were successfully used in abandoning ship. Of the 904 passengers, 
only 229 were saved by nearby vessels. 14 bodies were recovered, and 
661, including the 4 Army chaplains, were missing and unreported.
  In recognition of the extraordinary heroism displayed by the 
chaplains when they sacrificed their lives by giving up their life 
preservers to other men aboard the Dorchester, Congress authorized the 
Special Medal for Heroism which was awarded by President Eisenhower on 
January 18, 1961. No such medal has been awarded again in our Nation's 
history.
  Millions of men and women have served bravely in our military. Many, 
like the chaplains onboard the Dorchester, have gone above and beyond 
the call of duty. The 4 chaplains on board, despite their differences 
in faith, came together to bring comfort to the 904 men on board the 
Dorchester. And they proved that it is possible to serve not only their 
country and their God but also their fellow man.
  On February 14, a monument to the four chaplains of the Dorchester 
will be unveiled in Sebastian, FL. In January, I had a chance to meet 
Ernie Heaton, the last living survivor of the Dorchester sinking and a 
key leader in the push to get a monument put up in Sebastian. It was 
clear after meeting Ernie that witnessing the four chaplains' sacrifice 
first-hand made a lasting impact on him, just as their story continues 
to inspire all of us.

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