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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 86 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 86

 Expressing support for the designation of Four Immortal Chaplains Day 
in remembrance of the 4 men who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name 
         of compassion for those of different races and faiths.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 26, 2009

 Mr. Filner submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing support for the designation of Four Immortal Chaplains Day 
in remembrance of the 4 men who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name 
         of compassion for those of different races and faiths.

Whereas on February 3, 1943, The Army Transport Service troopship Dorchester was 
        torpedoed in the North Atlantic Ocean by a German submarine, an event 
        that resulted in the loss of nearly 700 lives and for which witnesses 
        have recounted in the Congressional Record the heroism of 4 chaplains of 
        different faiths: Lieutenant George L. Fox, Methodist; Lieutenant 
        Alexander D. Goode, Jewish; Lieutenant John P. Washington, Catholic; and 
        Lieutenant Clark V. Poling, Dutch Reformed;
Whereas witnesses verified that during the approximate 18 minutes the ship was 
        sinking after being torpedoed off the coast of Greenland, the 4 
        chaplains went from soldier to soldier calming fears, distributing life 
        jackets, and guiding men to safety;
Whereas when there were no more life jackets, the 4 chaplains removed their own 
        life jackets and gave them to others;
Whereas the 4 chaplains were last seen arm-in-arm in prayer on the hull of the 
        ship;
Whereas many of the 230 men who survived owed their lives to these 4 chaplains, 
        and witnesses among them recounted the unique interreligious spirit and 
        love for their fellow man that was later illustrated in a popular 
        postage stamp issued by the United States in 1948, called ``These 
        Immortal Chaplains--Interfaith in Action'';
Whereas Congress passed House Concurrent Resolution 90 in 1957 to honor these 4 
        chaplains and the men who died with them, and President Harry Truman and 
        President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued similar proclamations calling for 
        national recognition and participation in memorial services throughout 
        the country that have been observed annually by the American Legion on 
        the first Sunday of February;
Whereas Congress created a special medal for valor given to the 4 chaplains in 
        1960;
Whereas the Senate passed a unanimous resolution on the first day of the 2d 
        Session of the 105th Congress, on January 27, 1998, designating February 
        3 as Four Chaplains Day; and
Whereas memorials to the chaplains' heroic sacrifice abound in many places 
        throughout the country, including the Heroes Window in the National 
        Cathedral in Washington, District of Columbia, the Chapel at the 
        Pentagon, and the Chapel at the United States Military Academy at West 
        Point: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives remembers the Four 
Immortal Chaplains who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of 
compassion for those of different races and faiths and requests the 
President issue a proclamation calling on the Federal Government, 
States, localities, and the people of the United States to observe a 
day in their honor with appropriate ceremonies, programs, and 
activities.
                                 <all>
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