On the recordFebruary 5, 2014
This week marks the 71st anniversary of a dramatic sacrifice made by four U.S. Army chaplains during World War II on February 3, 1943. On that day, the USS Dorchester was torpedoed by a German submarine, and it sunk. Out of that tragedy came the story of the four chaplains. Four U.S. Army chaplains of different faiths--one rabbi, one Roman Catholic priest, one Methodist, and one Baptist minister, Clark Poling, who was born in Columbus, Ohio--came together on that day on the Dorchester. As the Dorchester began sinking, they began to calm the men and organized an orderly evacuation, but it quickly became clear that there weren't enough life jackets. In a true display of heroism and bravery, the four chaplains removed their own life jackets and gave them to others. They helped as many men as they could on lifeboats, and then they linked arms, recited prayers, and sung hymns as the ship went down. These heroic actions must never be forgotten. I would like to thank the Wilmington, Ohio, American Legion post and the many American Legion posts and VFW posts across the country that helped tell this story this week. We must never forget. ____________________
