MANCHESTER – Police Chief Antonio Ellis presented a proclamation to local chaplains in observance of Four Chaplains Day.
The recipients included Reverend Francis Watson of Christ Lutheran Church, Whiting, U.S. Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Richard Schultz and Pastor Owen L. Alston, the founder and senior pastor of Harmony Ministries USA Inc. in Lakehurst. They accepted the proclamations that honored four heroic U.S. Army Chaplains who demonstrated extraordinary courage, selflessness and compassion during World War II.
The township presents this proclamation each year. Ellis read the proclamation and recalled the history of the event on behalf of Mayor Joseph Hankins who was unable to make the Township Council meeting.
On February 3, 1943, an enemy torpedo struck the Army transport Dorchester as it carried 902 officers and enlisted men, Navy armed guard, merchant seamen and civilian workers in the North Atlantic. The Coast Guard cutter escorts Comanche and Escanaba rescued 230 men.
As the Dorchester took on water, four Army chaplains – Lt. George L. Fox (Methodist), Lt. Alexander D. Goode (Jewish), Lt. John P. Washington (Roman Catholic), and Lt. Clark V. Poling (Dutch Reformed) – calmed frightened soldiers, aided the wounded and guided the disoriented toward safety.
On deck, they opened a storage locker and began distributing life jackets. When there were no more available, the chaplains removed their life jackets and gave them to four young men. “It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven,” said John Ladd, a survivor.
As the ship went down, men in rafts saw the four chaplains, arms linked and braced against the slanting deck, singing hymns and praying.
Congress attempted to confer the Medal of Honor on the chaplains but was prevented by strict requirements of heroism under fire. It authorized a one-time posthumous Special Medal for Heroism, awarded by President Eisenhower in 1961; it was intended to have the same weight and importance as the Medal of Honor.
Each year, American Legion posts across the country and some municipal governing bodies commemorate the selfless acts of the Four Chaplains on or near February 3, designated Four Chaplains Day by Congress in 1948. Through interfaith services, memorial ceremonies and other solemn events, members of the American Legion lead their communities in honoring the chaplains and 668 other men who died when Dorchester sank.
Founded in 1951, the Chapel of Four Chaplains in Philadelphia encourages and supports these observances, and recognizes selfless service to community, nation and humanity through its Legion of Honor award program.
The mayor’s proclamation noted Four Chaplains Day in Manchester Township and called upon township residents to observe this day with solemn remembrance and reflection and gratitude “for the courage and sacrifices of the Four Chaplains, as well as for all those who serve in our armed forces.”
