STURGIS, SD – A special ceremony was held on Sunday afternoon at the Sturgis Vets Club, honoring four Army Chaplains who gave the ultimate sacrifice in World War Two.
It was a cold night in the North Atlantic, Feb. 3, 1943. The US Army Transport ship, the Dorchester, was carrying 902 servicemembers to an American base in Greenland when a torpedo from a German U-Boat struck the ship. As the ship was taking on water and sinking, four Army Chaplains, Lt. George L. Fox (Methodist), Lt. Alexander D. Goode (Jewish), Lt. John P. Washington (Roman Catholic), and Lt. Clark V. Poling, started handing out life vests.
When there were no more vests available, the chaplains removed theirs and gave them to four young servicemembers, saving their lives. 230 servicemembers survived, and witnesses saw the Chaplains with their arms linked together, praying as the ship sank. Micah Covington, Supervisory Chaplain at the Black Hills Veterans Affairs Hospital at Fort Meade, was the master of ceremonies of the Four Chaplains Day ceremony at the Sturgis Vets Club and says the Chaplain’s example of self-sacrifice is important to reflect upon.
“The fact that they knew, pretty early on, that they were going down with the ship and they worked together, didn’t matter what religion the Soldiers were, they helped everybody they could, in every way they could, including giving their own life jackets,” Covington said. “I think that’s a fantastic example that we need to see today, that’s timeless…it’s always going to be relevant.”
Eleven different organizations presented wreaths at the Four Chaplains Day ceremony on Sunday, honoring the Chaplains and the 672 who perished when the Dorchester sank. Craig Sanderson, commander of the Post 33 American Legion, says that the ceremony is vital to ensuring that the Chaplain’s sacrifice will never be forgotten.
“I really can’t stress how important it is that we remember what our forefathers have done, and that what our troops continue to do for the United States today,” Sanderson said. “God Bless America and God Bless the troops.”
After the ceremony, The American Legion Auxiliary served a soup lunch to the more than 75 people who took time out to attend the ceremony.
