The Four Chaplains - also referred to as the Immortal Chaplains or the Dorchester's Chaplains - were four WWII chaplains who died rescuing civilian and military personal as the American troop ship SS Dorchester sank on Feb. 3 in what has been referred to as the second-worst disaster of WWII. Dorchester was a civilian liner converted into a troop carrier for military service as a war shipping administration troop transport. It was able to carry slightly more than 900 military passengers and crew.
The ship was underway from New York Jan. 23, 1943, en route to Greenland carrying approximately 900 as a part of convoy of three ships escorted by CGC, Tampa, Escanaba and Comanche. They deployed their depth charges and were able to hold the U-boats at bay, but U-223 escaped them and fired a torpedo at midships below the water line, and the ship began to sink. 1st Lt. George L Fox, 1st Lt. Alexander D. Goode, 1st Lt. Clark V. Poling and 1st Lt. John P. Washington were on the main deck. They comforted the weary and gave last rites to the dead. As the ship was sinking, there were only two lifeboats that worked - the rest were frozen - and some did not have life jackets. The Four Chaplains had found a supply locker of life jackets and passed them out until there was no more; then they gave their own so others could live. As the ship was sinking, everyone could see the red lights of all the life jackets in the water and the stern as the ship was sinking. The chaplains linked arms and went down with the ship. They could be heard saying Bible verses and hymns as the ship went into the water with them still on it. They made the ultimate sacrifice so others could live.
The chaplains were nominated for the CMH but did not get it because they were not in an active combat zone. Each was posthumously awarded a Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart. The reason this was brought up is because no one knows about the Four Chaplains and it's not taught in school - how many of our brothers and sisters know about them? Is this not part of Americanism? Only 230 lived, and yes, four of them had the chaplains' life jackets.
My dad was awarded the Bronze Award of the Four Chaplains, and I am a member of the chapel. Thank y'all and God bless.

Ronald E Meyers Jr., American Legion Post 91 (Beebe, Ark.) adjutant/chairman for the Four Chaplains