[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15061]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING THE DEDICATION OF THE JEWISH CHAPLAINS MEMORIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2011

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the dedication 
of the Jewish Chaplains Memorial and to pay tribute to the Jewish 
chaplains who lost their lives while serving our country.
  For 149 years, chaplains have been a source of spiritual and 
emotional support for the men and women of our armed forces. In the 
most trying of circumstances, chaplains risk their lives to provide 
comfort and healing to our nation's soldiers.
  More than 250 chaplains of all religions have died while on active 
duty in the Armed Forces of the United States. Three memorials on 
Chaplains Hill at Arlington National Cemetery honor the Protestant, 
Catholic, and World War I chaplains killed in the line of duty. The 
recognition of the brave Jewish chaplains who dedicated their lives to 
our nation is long overdue.
  I was proud to cosponsor H. Con. Res. 12, a resolution to authorize a 
new memorial at Chaplains Hill to honor the Jewish chaplains who died 
while on active duty. On the evening of February 2, 1943, four 
chaplains gave their lives to ensure the safety of soldiers aboard the 
USAT Dorchester, under attack by a German torpedo. Rabbi Alexander D. 
Goode, a lieutenant in the United States Army, two Protestant pastors 
and a Catholic priest drowned after giving up their own life jackets to 
save others. Despite his courage and selflessness on that night, Rabbi 
Goode is the only one out of the four who is not recognized on 
Chaplains Hill. After 68 years, Rabbi Goode, and his fellow Jewish 
chaplains killed in wartime services since World War II, will finally 
receive the recognition and honor they deserve.
  I commend the work of Ken Kraetzer, the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, 
and the Jewish Federations of North America for making the Jewish 
Chaplains Memorial possible. I am proud that the U.S. Naval Academy's 
Levy Chapel, which is in my district, was chosen as one of the sites to 
display the memorial prior to its dedication at Arlington National 
Cemetery. Through this joint effort, our country will honor the 
sacrifices of Jewish chaplains for generations to come.

                          ____________________