Four Chaplin's Day

By Frank Gluth

14 FEBRUARY IS FOUR CHAPLAIN'S DAY: On 3 February 1943, 3:58 AM, the Dorchester, an Army transport of 5,252 tons, 751 Army passengers and 1,000 tons of cargo, a Merchant Marine crew of 130 and a Navy armed guard of 23 men, was hit by a German torpedo. The German u-boat U-456 sent her to the bottom in 20 minutes in near freezing air and water temperatures.

Of the 904 men on bard, 678 were eventually declared "lost in action." Four of the 904 were four Army Chaplains, all first lieutenants; Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed Minister; and George Fox, a Methodist Minister; John P. Washington, a Catholic Priest and Alexander D. Goode, a Jewish Rabbi. These four men were of different faiths but all shared the same Father.

Many survivors told of how the chaplains quieted the panic of men frozen by fear at the ship's rail and then the chaplains those men forced into boats and life jackets. They prayed with the frightened men and spoke encouraging words to them. The four distributed life jackets from a locker. When the life jackets were all given out, they took off their own and gave them to men with none of their own. Chaplain Goode was seen taking off his own gloves and giving them to a man without any.

As the survivors pulled away, their last view of the four Chaplains was that they were braced against the railing...praying...singing...giving strength to others.... their arms were linked and they were leaning into each other for support. Clearly above all the clamor and stress cries could be heard their strong voices...each praying his version of the Lord's Prayer. No greater love hath a man than to give his life for another!!

On 19 December 1944, the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart were awarded posthumously to the next of kin at the Post Chapel at Fort Myers, Virginia.

Additional tribute has been paid to the four; On 28 May 1948, the United States Postal Service issued a special commemorative stamp to honor the brotherhood, service and sacrifice of the four. On 4 July 1960 by an Act of Congress authorized "The Four Chaplains Medal." The Star of David, Tablets of Moses and the Christian Cross along with the inscribed name of the four heroes are on the back of the medal.

An extremely, poignant and hallowed interfaith chapel was dedicated at Temple University in Philadelphia by President Harry S. Truman.

The second Sunday in February is designated as the Four Chaplains' Day.

(NOTE: Visit the 'CHAPEL OF THE FOUR CHAPLAINS" on line).

STATE SEAL OF OHIO: The state of Ohio has had an official seal for more than 150 years. Over that time period, the Ohio government has had several modifications to the seal. The current seal was adopted by the state Legislature in 1967, and most recently modified in 1996. The seal illustrates Ohio's diverse geography, in the background stands Mount Logan, in Ross County. Separating Mount Logan from the rest of the seal is the Scioto River. In the freshly harvested wheat field stands a wheat bushel, illustrating Ohio's important contributions to agriculture. Next to the bushel stand seventeen arrows, representing Ohio's place as the seventeenth sate ion the Union. The sun has thirteen rays protruding outward representing the original thirteen colonies.

Early versions of the seal included a canal boat, but the modern day version removed the item. The idea for the Ohio seal originated during the early 1800s. It was thought to be based on the eastern view from Thomas Worthington's home, Adena, located near modern day Chillicothe. Worthington

CIVIL WAR TRIVIA:

POLITICALLY APPOINTED GENERALS: early in the war, politically appointed generals who lacked experience - probably a key factor that contributed to prolonging the war, led the Union armies.

EAGLE BRAND MILK: Gail Borden's Eagle Brand condensed milk, patented in 1856, was designed to combat food poisoning and illness related to the lack of refrigeration. It became an important part of the Union soldiers' diets and gave the brand the recognition it needed to become a household name. The brand still exists to this day.

EMBALMERS charged families of fighting men according to the deceased's rank. An enlisted soldier cost $25 and an officer cost $50. Later in the war prices increased to $30 and $80 respectively.

TWO CENTS WORTH: Northern merchants were finding it more and more difficult to make change for their customers. Many feared that financial breakdown was just around the corner so they created their own tokens and accepted them and make change with them.

The U.S. Congress undertook a two-pronged attack on the Civil War tokens, rendering them both unnecessary and illegal. Anyone caught using or creating such currency would be subject to the same treatment as counterfeiters or forgers - a significant fine and possibly five years in jail. Congress also decided to beat those token makers at their own game by introducing the two-cent coin. It was modeled after the very tokens it was created to eliminate. But it also added a new feature that had never before appeared on U.S. currency, a motto that stuck: In God We Trust."

ANTIETAM: On September 17, 1862, the Untied States experienced the bloodiest and perhaps the most uncivil battle of the Civil War. Occurring around Antietam Creek in the border state of Maryland, the battle put armed combatants just yards form one another. No one was safe. By the end of a single day of battle, the dead and the dying littered the landscape. The North and the South lost a combined total of 23,000 dead, wounded or missing. That causally figure exceeded the number the United States and its allies would suffer on D-Day at Normandy. According to one northern solder, you could walk on top of dead Confederates in the road without even touching the ground. The road became known as the bloody lane.

They hit the deck running

To turn the guns around;

When the battle was won,

The Bismarck had gone down.

**BURMA SHAVE**