American Legion posts nationwide commemorate the selfless acts of four chaplains.
This year, Four Chaplains Sunday is Feb. 1. If your post is conducting a service, a Four Chaplains Sunday guide is available for download.
If your post conducts a Four Chaplains service, please share photos and a story on legiontown.org.
On or around Feb. 3 of each year, American Legion posts nationwide commemorate the selfless acts of four chaplains.
The U.S. Army Transport Dorchester was hit by a German U-boat torpedo on Feb. 3, 1943, as it was transporting troops in the North Atlantic to an American base in Greenland. The ship sank, killing 672 of the 902 officers and enlisted men, merchant seamen and civilian workers aboard. But for those who survived, they were left with the memory of the courage and leadership exhibited by four chaplains of different faiths, who, in sacrificing their lives, created a unique legacy of brotherhood.
As soldiers rushed to lifeboats, Rev. George Fox (Methodist), Jewish Rabbi Alexander Goode, Rev. Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed) and Father John Washington (Roman Catholic) comforted the wounded and directed others to safety. One survivor watched the chaplains distribute life jackets, and when they ran out, they removed theirs and gave them to four young men. As the Dorchester sank, the chaplains were seen linked arm in arm, praying.
- Dispatch