| February 3, 1943. The North Atlantic.
905 Servicemen on board a ship headed for Greenland. It had broken away from its convoy, not an unusual maneuver when avoiding submarines, but one this time which would prove fatal.
When the ship was hit, there was panic. Many were asleep in their bunks when the boilers exploded. The ship quickly listed to starboard. There was panic in the dark, and security prevented the use of distress flares, which might have brought help from nearby vessels.
George L. Fox, Alexander D. Goode, Clark V. Poling and John P. Washington helped calm men, distributing life jackets. But there were not enough. And four young soldiers stood patiently awaiting life jackets. The four unhesitatingly stripped off their own and gave them to the soldiers, saving those lives, then linked arms together on the deck, praying as the ship went down, their heroism visible to those in the lifeboats.
One a Catholic priest, another a Rabbi, and two Protestant Ministers. The Four Chaplains. On the USS Dorchester.
An honorable sacrifice to remember. This day in 1943.
Peace |
