NEW YORK -- The true story of four World War II U.S. Army chaplains who sacrificed their lives to save their comrades comes to life in "The Four Chaplains: Sacrifice at Sea," a prime-time television special that airs nationally on Wednesday, November 10, (10 p.m. ET/PT) on Hallmark Channel. The one-hour documentary recounts through dramatic military film footage, recreations, and personal interviews with survivors and family members how a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi, and two Protestant ministers removed their life jackets for others, and spent their last moments praying, arm-in-arm, as the U.S.S. Dorchester went down.
"At the time, it was highly unusual for individuals from these different faiths to interact in any significant way. Yet these four remarkable men joined together, first to minister to the young men going off to war and, later, to provide spiritual comfort to many of these same soldiers as their ship sank into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. It is a remarkable story of faith and courage," said Edward J. Murray, president and chief executive officer of Faith & Values Media, which produced the program.
In 1943, the four young Army chaplains joined 900 raw recruits who were headed for battle in Nazi-occupied Europe on the Dorchester. The chaplains were: The Rev. George Fox, a Methodist minister, who had served with distinction as a soldier during World War I; Rabbi Alexander Goode, who had written a book in 1931 forecasting the rise of Nazi Germany; the Rev. Clark Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister who left behind heart-warming letters for his family; and Father John Washington, a former street gang member who became a Catholic priest.
During the voyage, the chaplains guided and reassured those on board, providing comfort to men suffering from seasickness and from fear of the battles that lay ahead. At 1 a.m., February 3, 1943, a torpedo from a German submarine ripped through the hull of the Dorchester, and the ship began to descend rapidly into the freezing arctic waters.
In the frantic scramble for lifeboats, the four Army chaplains directed many soldiers to safety. When the life vest supply ran out, they selflessly removed their own and gave them to the soldiers, knowing that they could not possibly survive without the flotation devices. Eighteen minutes after it was hit, the Dorchester sank off the coast of Greenland.
Dan Kurzman, author of "No Greater Glory," a comprehensive story of the immortal chaplains, recalls the ship's final moments in the documentary: "The four men were standing arm-in-arm at the top of the boat singing hymns, as the ship disappeared beneath the waves."
"These are men who will always be remembered for their acts of courage during wartime," said Mr. Murray of Faith & Values Media. "Their memory lives on in America today as an example of how people of different faiths can work courageously together to achieve a common purpose."
In 1960, the U.S. Congress created a special Medal of Valor honoring the Four Chaplains, and their memory is preserved in a stained glass rendering in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. "How they were able to let their love for God overwhelm their love for their own lives is truly an act of faith," said Chaplain Mark Godshall, who appears in the program.
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