What is Four Chaplains Day?
On February 3rd each year, Four Chaplains Day honors four military chaplains from World War II who sacrificed their lives for fellow service members.
Chaplains in the military are an integral part of the service environment. They offer consulting, spiritual guidance, practice services, and religious rites, among other duties, and are present around the world. If there are military troops stationed there, chaplains are also..
Four chaplains who had attended Chaplain School at Harvard together at Harvard boarded the Dorchester en route to the Army Command Base in southern Greenland during World War II. There were 904 service members on board the ship.
The four chaplains were Reverend George L. Fox, a Methodist minister, Reverend Clark V. Poling of the Reformed Church of America, Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, and Roman Catholic Church Father John P. Washington. They began on January 23, 1943, on January 23, 1943. German U-Boats were patrolling the area at the time, and the convoy was on high alert. Chaos ensued after a German submarine torpedoed the Dorchester on February 3, 1943, in the frigid waters off the coast of Newfoundland. a German submarine torpedoed the Dorchester.
Eyewitnesses recalled the chaplains' heroism, including giving their life jackets and gloves to other service members. They prayed with service members, assisting them in lifeboats. On the sinking Dorchester, the four chaplains remained. Only 230 men were rescued from the seas.
