Ceremony for The Four Chaplains
Memorial stands, symbolizing the faiths of the four chaplains, honored Lieutenant John P. Washington (Roman Catholic), Lieutenant Alexander D. Goode (Jewish), Lieutenant George L. Fox (Methodist) and Lieutenant Clark V. Poling (Dutch Reformed) and their act of supreme sacrifice.
American Legion Harry C. Miller Post 1187, assisted by a local Cub Scout pack, presented The Four Chaplains Ceremony on January 31 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Castle Rock. The annual solemn ceremony commemorates the selfless acts of four chaplains aboard the USAT Dorchester when the ship sank during World War II; out of the 902 service men aboard, 672 perished, including the four chaplains. American Legion posts across the nation hold The Four Chaplains Ceremony around this time of year.
The four chaplains, Reverend George L. Fox, Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Reverend Clark V. Poling and Father John P. Washington, remained calm amid the panic when a German torpedo hit the USAT Dorchester after midnight February 3, 1943. The chaplains distributed life jackets, helped calm the frightened and guided the disoriented toward safety. They gave up their own life jackets, and Rabbi Goode even handed his own gloves to a sailor in need. The four chaplains then came together in prayer on the slanting deck as the ship went down in the icy waters between Newfoundland and Greenland.
Post 1187 member Wayne Turner led the Castle Rock ceremony. Post 1187 members Tina Cosley, Tim LaMonda, Jeff Martin and Larry Underwood read the biographies of the chaplains, including their posthumous awards. At the end of each reading, the Cub Scouts lit a candle for that chaplain.
For more information about The Four Chaplains and the USAT Dorchester, visit fourchaplains.org/the-four-chaplains. For more information about Post 1187’s ceremony for The Four Chaplains, visit facebook.com/ALP1187 and search “four chaplains.”
The ceremony’s display table featured images of the four chaplains and the Special Medal for Heroism awarded to them posthumously, as well as photos from past ceremonies.
Dignitaries who attended the ceremony included (left to right): Air Force veteran Jeff Martin, WWII Army veteran Dale Erickson, and Navy veteran Tina Cosley.
By Susan Helton; photos courtesy of Randal “Smitty” Smith, Post 1187
