Orrin Hatch: “S. Res. 169, commemorates the ``Immortal Four Chaplains'' whose brave sacrifice is an inspiring story of personal honor…”

“S. Res. 169, commemorates the ``Immortal Four Chaplains'' whose brave sacrifice is an inspiring story of personal honor and patriotism. Their heroism of 55 years ago stands today as an eloquent and enduring example of service, fellowship, and love. On February 3, 1943, a German U-boat torpedoed the American transport ship Dorchester, sinking it off the coast of Greenland. Among the nearly 1,000 American soldiers aboard the Dorchester were four chaplains whose selfless acts of courage have left a distinguished legacy, a legacy that we hope to honor and remember in this resolution. Survivors' accounts describing the short 18 minutes that the ship was sinking report that Lieutenant George L. Fox, a Methodist minister; Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode, a Jewish rabbi; Lieutenant John P. Washington, a Catholic priest; and Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister worked to alert the soldiers to the danger and direct them to safety. They distributed life jackets until no more were available. Then, these four Army chaplains removed their own life jackets and gave them to four soldiers. One soldier witnessed a chaplain giving his gloves to a panicked GI shivering in the Arctic air to prevent the young man from returning to his cabin for his own. The chaplains helped 230 men to safety and then chose to remain to calm and comfort the nearly 700 who went down with the ship.”