Greater Love

I have read a lot of WW II history over the years and am familiar with a fair number of lesser known details about the conflict. Bob Collins, who heads the Alliance Chaplains ministry for the national office, stumped me with an incident about the "Four Chaplains." He gave me a link, which I quickly clicked, and found a story of amazing faith under the most dire circumstances. 

In February, 1943, the transport Dorchester was in a convoy making its way across the icy Atlantic carrying 900+ troops to Greenland. An escort ship had earlier detected a periscope from a German U-boat, which were known to be in the area. Suddenly, although only150 miles from their destination, the Dorchester took a torpedo deep below the water line from a spread of three fired by the U-223. The Dorchester had been a coastal steamer before the war and carried no armor at all. The torpedo was a terminal blow and it was only a matter of 20 short minutes before the ship slid beneath the waves.

A panicked evacuation began. Troops scrambled for lifeboats, rapidly overloading them. Rafts were flung into the ocean only to have them drift out of sight before anyone from the doomed ship could climb aboard. Over the increasing chaos, four voices rang out. The detachment being transported carried 4 chaplains: a Methodist, a Jewish chaplain, a Roman Catholic, and a Dutch Reformed chaplain. Their voices could soon be heard praying for the dying and wounded, calling for calm amidst the storm, and organizing the evacuation.

Most everyone was on deck waiting to get off and the chaplains were handing out life jackets. When they ran out, the chaplains took off their own and strapped them on four young men. As the ship began to slant and go down for the final time, survivors on the water  saw the four chaplains with arms linked and offering prayers. One survivor, John Ladd, said,
" It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven...”  Truer words have not been spoken.

The article about the disaster and the chaplains' heroism concludes:

That night Reverend Fox, Rabbi Goode, Reverend Poling and Father Washington passed life’s ultimate test. In doing so, they became an enduring example of extraordinary faith, courage and selflessness."

Indeed they are. The 230 who survived the sinking  will never forget them. Likewise, a grateful nation that awarded them the a medal authorized and awarded only once in U.S. history, the Special Medal for Heroism, has not forgotten. And finally, their Maker has not forgotten them either, as they now know for all time.  
www.fourchaplains.org/the-saga-of-the-four-chaplains/