Hawthorne Legion Post Honors Heroism of Four WWII Chaplains
Last Saturday was the 75th anniversary of the one of the greatest acts of valor performed during World War II. The problem is very few people know anything about it.
Hawthorne American Legion Post 112 made sure that it won’t remain forgotten. The post held a special ceremony at Mount Pleasant Town Hall to remember the bravery of four chaplains aboard the USS Dorchester, an Army transport ship.
The chaplains, Lt. George L. Fox, a Methodist minister; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, a rabbi; Lt. John P. Washington, a Catholic priest; and Lt. Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister, gave the life jackets off their backs to four crew members after the Dorchester was struck by a German U-boat’s torpedo off the coast of Greenland in the early morning hours of Feb. 3, 1943.
With nothing to protect them from the icy waters, the chaplains went down with the ship, their arms locked together while reciting prayers as they went under. There were 904 men aboard the Dorchester, and 672 of them died. But the four crew members who received the life jackets from the chaplains all survived.
Post Commander Peter Fiumefreddo said while the Post 112 members had participated in ceremonies held by other American Legions in previous years in remembrance of the chaplains, the Hawthorne Legion decided to hold its own event for the first time with help from posts in West Harrison and Peekskill.
Their ultimate goal, along with scores of other American Legion members throughout the nation, is to convince Congress to eventually award the four chaplains the Medal of Honor.
“We’re going to propose it and every year we’re going to have the service and every year we hope to get it bigger and bigger,” Fiumefreddo said.
Vice Commander Frank Morganthaler said while the four chaplains were posthumously bestowed a Medal of Heroism, a special honor that was created only to recognize their bravery, it seems unfair that the interpretation of the stringent regulations for the Medal of Honor denies them the military’s highest honor. The Medal of Honor requires to have earned the award under fire in combat, he said.
“We just thought it would be great to start it up here, to get them the recognition they deserve,” Morganthaler said of the ceremony.
The ceremony, which began with a color guard and a bagpiper, saw Legion members read a short biography of each of the four chaplains.
County Legislator Margaret Cunzio (C-Mount Pleasant) presented a special proclamation from the county to the post’s leaders. She said she couldn’t imagine how the chaplains could so calmly surrender their life jackets, tend to the wounded and reassure the panic-stricken knowing their decision would result in their own deaths.
“But I do know their selfless and heroic acts resulted in many lives being saved,” Cunzio said. “The fact that it hasn’t been brought to the forefront in quite a few years is something I think we need to work on.”
Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi said he was happy to have the town host the ceremony. It was an opportunity to remind the public about those who gave their lives while serving the nation.
“Anytime we can hear about those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and how those who have served and are still serving this country, we should take the time to do that,” Fulgenzi said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/