Acts of Sacrifice

This poem tells the tale of the four chaplains on the Dorchester, an army troop carrying ship, which was struck and sunk by a torpedo in the Atlantic.

Those chaplains were: Lt. George L. Fox, Methodist, Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Jewish, Lt. John P. Washington, Roman Catholic, Lt. Clark V. Poling, Dutch Reformed.

I came across their story in a recent “Ireland’s Own”, and I think it is entirely appropriate for Lent. It is a story I had not heard, but it moved me deeply. I do not know if I would have the courage. I think we never do know until we are tested, in that way, to make such acts of sacrifice.

Acts of Sacrifice

Dusk was already falling, heralding night:
Atlantic waters in winter, winds that bite,
The Dorchester sailed on through the sea;
On board: soldiers from land of the free,
But beneath the waves, the submarine,
And its periscope saw the ocean scene;
A torpedo fired, hit the side of the ship:
Bulk plates buckled, in explosion’s grip;
The blast had killed scores of army men:
Wounded cried for help and help again,
Groping in darkness, feeling icy Artic air,
Knowing death awaited, knowing fear;
Chaos reigned, and all hope seemed lost,
Into the waves, to die, to be storm tossed;
Men jumped to death, in a mortal fright:
But then came hope in despair, and light,
As four men, together stood there tall,
And would not give up, or let others fall;
Methodist, Jewish, Catholic and Reformed:
Four army chaplains, as panic stormed,
Calmed the frightened, wounded attended,
Prayers and words of comfort that mended,
Preached courage, gave their life jackets away,
Knowing they would never live another day;
Greater love than this, to lay down their life,
To be a guide to safety amidst all the strife;
Bringing hope, linked arms together in prayer,
They sank beneath the waves, not in despair,
But in the darkest hour, they lit such a light,
That their glorious faith will ever shine bright.

For more see
https://fourchaplains.org/the-four-chaplains/

A few extracts from that here:

One witness, Private William B. Bednar, found himself floating in oil-smeared water surrounded by dead bodies and debris. “I could hear men crying, pleading, praying,” Bednar recalls. “I could also hear the chaplains preaching courage. Their voices were the only thing that kept me going.” 

When there were no more lifejackets in the storage room, the chaplains removed theirs and gave them to four frightened young men. “It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven,” said John Ladd, another survivor who saw the chaplains’ selfless act... The altruistic action of the four chaplains constitutes one of the purest spiritual and ethical acts a person can make. When giving their life jackets, Rabbi Goode did not call out for a Jew; Father Washington did not call out for a Catholic; nor did the Reverends Fox and Poling call out for a Protestant. They simply gave their life jackets to the next man in line.

As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains–arms linked and braced against the slanting deck. Their voices could also be heard offering prayers. Of the 902 men aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, 672 died, leaving 230 survivors. When the news reached American shores, the nation was stunned by the magnitude of the tragedy and heroic conduct of the four chaplains.