25 Minutes

?Near the 9-11 memorial and chapel in the Pentagon is beautiful stained-glass artwork memorializing the story of the “Four Chaplains.”?Their story was recently retold in a terrific book titled “The Immortals” by Steven Collis (2021).?I’ll be quoting and paraphrasing from his book.?Four Army Chaplains served on the SS Dorchester during World War II.?George Fox, Alexander Goode, John Washington, and Clark Poling, all from different faiths and religious traditions, each of whom had a story of their to tell about why they were had decided to serve.?Alexander Goode for example, a Jew, had watched the increasing threats and atrocities grow to his people in Europe, and he wanted to be part of the solution.?In 1941 he applied to be a Navy chaplain, but was rejected.?A year later, after Pearl Harbor, he found a home in the Army.?Clark Poling was a belligerent youth who found his way to the ministry, and like many of his generation was determined to serve and defend the American interests.?John Washington, a Catholic, lived a life that made people wanted to follow his example.?He, like Alex was rejected by the Navy because of an injured eye.?But, on the advice of another priest who said, “When they test you, just cover your bad eye twice and read the chart with your good eye twice.?They won’t notice the difference” he became and Army Chaplain (He prayed for forgiveness afterward).?George Fox was forty-two years old when he had the chance to be a Chaplain.?He had fought in World War 1 during which following a mustard gas attack, took off his gas mask and gave it to a wounded solider.?In return, George suffered damage to his own lungs.

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In 1942 the sea lanes in the North Atlantic became the lifeline to Europe.?The Germans recognized the importance of these ocean shipping lanes and developed an attack plan to destroy supply and troop laden vessels called “Operation Drumbeat.”?The notion being that constant attacks would weary the allies.?An important element of the plan included utilizing the German U-boat. ?These submarines often “hunted” for Allied ships in what they described as “wolfpacks.”?The first attacks began in January 1942 and by summer the Germans had destroyed 22 percent if the US tanker fleet and had sunk 400 ships, and nearly 8 million tons of cargo. ?Over 5,000 seamen and others had been killed.?Twice the number that died during the attack of Pearl Harbor.?Earlier, the sister ship to the Dorchester, the Chatham, had been sunk.?On February 3, 1943 a similar fate awaited the Dorchester.?The four chaplains were assigned to minister to over 900 military personnel and crew who had been assigned to various units and were crammed together on the SS Dorchester…a cruise ship that had been transformed into a troop transport to support the escalating war effort in Europe, and was designed to carry 300 passengers.?Their route would take them from New York, passed Newfoundland, and Greenland before arriving in Europe. ?Originally supported by 5 combat ready vessels, but by February only two escort ships remained:?the Comanche and the Tampa. ?As the sun set the evening of February 2nd , the Dorchester chugged towards its destination, unaware that U-boat 223 was zeroing in for the kill. ?By 10pm the German sub was 4,000 meters away from its target. ?At about 15 minutes past midnight on February 3rd, U-223 fired the first torpedoes hitting the Dorchester.?Chaos ensued.?Collis writes,?

???????????????????“In all of that chaos, the time had come for every man on board who had survived the initial blow to decide how he would react.?Human nature being what it is, especially when pushed to survival mode, the most likely outcome as that people would look our for themselves:?protect your friends. Everyone else could fend for themselves, or, if necessary, would become the enemy.”

Within minutes the signal to abandon ship was heard.?Standard operating procedures dictated that everyone find the lifeboats, lower them into the sea and row away.?“The four chaplains ignored protocol.” All four quickly made their way to the depository filled with life preservers.?As men filed past the cache’ of hope, the Chaplains found anyone without a life jacket and helped them put one on.?Collis writes that as this point all four Chaplains still had their own lifejackets on.?Over the next few minutes the Chaplains would hear cries for help…cries belting out a need for a lifejacket. ?With the Dorchester listing dramatically, everyone knew that she would be slipping into the icy Atlantic shortly.?As the Chaplains continued to minister to those in need, one by one they gave their life jackets to some wanting Soldier knowing that they would be giving their last full measure.?These types of decisions are not made in the moment, but rather cultivated over many years.?In the final minutes, the Chaplains did all they could to help those still clinging to the frozen railings, standing shoulder to shoulder and shouting Courage! Have courage! as the Dorchester sank out of sight.?The Dorchester would sink in 25 minutes.

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You might think this is a story of the four Chaplains….it is, but here is the rest of the story….the part that reflects all that is good and great in humanity.?Aboard the US Coast Guard cutter called the Comanche (the Comanche was part of the escort convoy) a Sailor named Charles W. David Jr. had made the decision to be part of the solution.?Instead of returning to his duties abord the Comanche, Charles made the decision that we would save as many people as possible. ?Despite being one of the lowest-ranked men on the ship, he volunteered to do whatever was necessary to save those that were floating in the frigid Atlantic.?With a few other volunteers, including divers they “would dive into the water, wrap a rope around him (a floating Solider) and the tug both the rescuer and the survivor to the cargo net” and into the arms of Charles and his shipmate who would lift the frozen survivors onto the deck.?Over several hours fatigue was setting in.?“In and out of water so cold it may as well have been the grave.?Swimming, hauling, roping, climbing the net….the human body can only endure so much” writes Collis.?As the night wore on, exhaustion and early symptoms of hypothermia began to set in.?One officer from the Comanche slipped and fell into the freezing water.?Without hesitation Charles dove in after him.?“The cold ravaged him the way it would any human. His muscles racked from fatigue.?But, with one arm he latched the fallen lieutenant.?He swam back to the Comanche.?Saltwater in his mouth, sea spray in his eyes, seas lifting and plunging and clawing, the mercury on the thermometer creeping lower and lower.?But Charles could not be stopped.?He hoisted the lieutenant out of the water so others could pull him up.?He saved another drowning Dorchester man as well.”?“Ascending the net for the last time, he had given all he had.?He collapsed onto the deck.?In one night, he had poured his whole life into as many others.”?With Comanche in a safe Greenland harbor, Charles died in a field hospital on March 29, 1943.?On the Comanche, Charles and those who followed him saved 93 from the Dorchester.?

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Chaplains Poling, Goode, Fox and Washington didn’t need to die.?They could have “stepped off the ship onto one of the first lifeboats or rafts and successfully waited, dry, to return to their family.?They chose to die so others could live.?So did Charles W. David Jr. “He carried precisely zero burden to help anyone.?His efforts were his choice.?He was victim to no one.”?What makes this story even more memorable is that Charles W. David Jr. was an African American. ?He was assigned to, ?what some would describe, as the most menial task on the Comanche.?It was a segregated Army that relegated Charles to a stewards’ mate. Charles helped save those who did not consider him their equal…some had distain for him and most others paid him no attention.?And, yet, when the call to duty came, he stepped up.?He was all in.?He understood what many have forgotten:?As his extend family wrote nearly 70 years later, “life-changing events can appear before us suddenly, and our choices or actions around these events can reverberate throughout our lives—impacting future generations.” ?

1. Like Charles and the four chaplains, we can all decide now to make a difference. ?When our call to duty comes, let us seize the moment and bend the arc of history in favor of each other….do not pass that moment of decision by doing the easy wrong.?Let us stand up, show up and rise above the tyranny pride and leave behind a legacy of excellence that is grounded in the service we render so that when we leave this good earth, we can say, “I made a small difference…I planted a few seeds along the way.”?That is our challenge….we only have 25 minutes. ?