Midweek Musings

The Rev. Katherine Schofield

Each year, on the Sunday closest to Feb. 3, American Legion posts nationwide commemorate the selfless acts of four chaplains. This year the Legion Posts of Essex County will gather at First Parish Church, 10 Central St. in Manchesterby- the-Sea, at 2 p.m. Feb. 1 to honor the enduring legacy of the Four Chaplains, whose selfless sacrifice during World War II continues to stand as a powerful symbol of unity, courage, and faith.

On Feb. 3, 1943 the U.S. Army Transport Dorchester was hit by a German U-boat torpedo as it was transporting troops in the North Atlantic to an American base in Greenland. The ship sank, killing 672 of the 902 officers and enlisted men, merchant seamen and civilian workers aboard. Those who survived were left with the memory of the courage and leadership exhibited by four chaplains of different faiths, who, in sacrificing their lives, created a unique legacy of brotherhood.

As the ship sank, the chaplains — the Rev. George Fox (Methodist), Rabbi Alexander Goode (Jewish), the Rev. Clark Poling (Dutch Reformed) and the Rev. John Washington (Roman Catholic) — worked together to calm frightened soldiers, assist with evacuation efforts, and distribute life jackets. When supplies ran out, the four men famously removed their own life jackets and gave them to others. Survivors later recalled seeing the chaplains standing arm in arm on the deck, praying together as the ship slipped beneath the waves.

This year’s service will be led by American Legion leaders from around Essex County and clergy members from various denominations who will share the biographies of each of the chaplains.

Chaplain George Thomson, from Post 8 Andover will represent 1st Lt. George L. Fox, who was the oldest of the four chaplains aboard the Dorchester. In 1917 he was a medic in the Marines. At the end of World War I he returned home and studied to become an accountant. Unfulfilled in that role, he became a Methodist minister and when war broke out again he reenlisted.

Rabbi Naomi Gurt Lind, from Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester, will represent 1st Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Jewish chaplain. Although Rabbi Goode was assigned to a synagogue, he yearned for more so he entered Johns Hopkins University and received his medical degree. He enlisted in the summer of 1942.

The Rev. Deacon Cliff King will represent 1st Lt. John P. Washington, a Catholic priest who served his neighborhood parish in New Jersey. He joined the Army on May 9, 1942, after hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Rev. Katherine Schofield (that’s me) from First Parish Church in Manchester- by-the-Sea will represent 1st Lt. Clark V. Poling, a minister in the Reformed Church in America. At the outbreak of war in 1941, Poling immediately volunteered for service as an Army chaplain in the footsteps of his father, who had served as a chaplain during World War I.

The Four Chaplains’ actions transcended religious and cultural differences, demonstrating that compassion and service to others are universal values. Their story is not only a historical account, but also a call to live with greater empathy and courage in today’s world.

The Four Chaplains Memorial Service also pays respect to Coast Guardsman Charles Walter David Jr. David enlisted in the Coast Guard in March 1941. In the segregated American military, African-Americans like David were assigned to do menial work in ship kitchens. Nevertheless, he labored diligently and was promoted to mess attendant first class. After the United States entered World War II, David was assigned to the Coast Guard cutter Comanche, one of four cutters escorting the Dorchester when it was hit on Feb. 3.

As the Dorchester rapidly began sinking and panic spread among the soldiers aboard, the captain of the Comanche chose to ignore the obvious danger of another torpedo attack and maneuvered his ship to pick up survivors. The Comanche’s crew lowered rope climbing nets to the lifeboats, but many of the Dorchester’s survivors were too weak from the cold to climb to safety. David and several other men climbed down into the lifeboats, where they battled 10-foot waves, and helped lift the shivering men up onto the Comanche’s deck. During the precarious operation, the Comanche’s executive officer, Lt. Langford Anderson, fell overboard. Without hesitation, David dived into the deadly waters to save Anderson. David and his shipmates successfully rescued 93 survivors from the Dorchester. Sadly, David contracted pneumonia from his time in the water and 54 days later, on March 23, 1943, he succumbed to the illness in a hospital in Greenland. The Coast Guard posthumously awarded David the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.

The Four Chaplains’ legacy remains especially relevant in times of division. Their example reminds us that even in the darkest moments, people can choose selflessness over fear, and unity across lines of difference.

The Rev. Katherine Schofield is pastor of First Parish Church in Manchester-By-the-Sea. Midweek Musings rotates among Cape Ann clergy.