Veterans and their families in the Denver area remembered the sacrifices of four World War II chaplains Saturday at a ceremony in Northglenn.
Methodist minister George Fox, Rabbi Alexander Goode, Catholic priest John Washington and Dutch Reformed minister Clark Poling were honored Saturday at Northglenn American Legion Post 22 for their actions aboard the U.S. Army Transport SS Dorchester on Feb. 3, 1943.
The four chaplains died after giving up their life jackets to save American soldiers when the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat.
“We honored men of the cloth and their ultimate sacrifice,” said Joe Ann C.V. Gayton, the chaplain and adjutant of American Legion Post 22. “We gave them dignity in their death, even years later.”
The ceremony celebrated the chaplains with prayer, song and a rifle salute, as well as historical readings from military veterans and community members.
They were remembered for their faith as well as for their sacrifice.
On board the SS Dor- chester, they comforted and prayed with wounded soldiers regardless of their beliefs. Gayton said there is a lesson to be learned from their unified approach.
“No matter which faith you have, you can still respect each other’s religious beliefs,” Gayton said. “Religion should not separate us, but it should bring us together.”
The chaplains were also remembered for the support they gave — comforting the wounded and praying in their respective dialects — as the ship sank.
Of the 902 people on board, only 230 survived.
Around 60 people attended the ceremony, including Northglenn Mayor Joyce Downing, said Annette Johnson, District 5 adjutant and service officer.
Kathy Goldstein, state captain of the motorcycle group Colorado Patriot Guard Riders, attended the ceremony, and she said the story of the four chaplains should be told more often.
“There’s nothing more honorable than giving your life,” Goldstein said. “These are the stories we should be telling our kids.”
This was American Legion Post 22’s first remembrance for the four chaplains. But the men have been widely celebrated for their actions since 1944, when they were each posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart.
The chaplains were presented with a Special Medal for Heroism in 1961. Then, in 1988, Congress established Feb. 3 as Chaplains Day.
Katy Canada: 303-954-1043, kcanada@denverpost.com or @KatySusanna
