Evening star., 1943-12-19
Corps Photo.

tStTUCLeu Oy LiLe HIeU UUQeT LIc
Signal Corps Photo.
my best to remember the opening
strains Of Rock of Ages" Father
Cronln later said. but they wouldn't
come to me. I fdgeted for a while, but
finally broke down and explained to the
BOYS. From way off in one corner came
slow Southern drawl. That's o. K.
preacher the voice said, Wen take care
OF the singing. You just give us hell"
In Tunisia Jewish chaplain sat in q
dlmly lit tent writing letter for q
wounded Irish boy. Suddenly a figure
stood outlined in the Pickering light.
Chaplain" the man said, my unit Is
going into battle and We haven't a
Jewish chaplain to say services for my
Jewish men. Can you Gomez"
Chaplain Tavel looked at the Irish
lad. The boys eyes said. Go ahead;
my letter can wait" Without wasting
words, the chaplain gathered his equip
ment. Soon the two men were bouncing
IN a little jeep through the brooding
black night TO the front. There Chap.
lain Tavel found nine Jewish lads watt
ing for him. and there, facing an enemy
who had tried to destroy the very thing
which men of greater spiritual dignity
keep alive, he conducted the solemn
Jewish services, made possible because a
thoughtful Christian chaplain acted.
Wherever Men Fight
Chapels for worship we're built wher-
ever the men fought. On Guaralcanal
grateful Navy men OF all religions built
''palatial church for Father Gehring,
who had been hearing confessions in
foxholes. A tent formed the frame
work. wooden floor and walls rein
forced it; one side led into his living
An altar, fashioned out of shell cases
and made in memory of a comrade
killed on Armistice Day, stood near the
rear. Beside it was placed Flagstaff:
in front of the altar was a plaque of ths
Virgin Mary.
On another part Of Guadalcanal Ma
rlnes constructed an open-air chapel
Tor Chaplain Thomas P. Reardon out of
ammunition boxes. Father Reardon
said, 1t was most touching experience
to see burly marines pick flowers, nut
them IN empty shells and place them on
the altar. To me, 1t was the most
beautiful church in the world"
on New Guinea, members of the 5th
Bomber Command Of the 5th Air Force
mace chapel on the side of A hill. It
had tin roof; the altar was of plywood
and the wooden benches lacked back
rests. 1t, too, was regarded as the
most beautiful of chapels"
Washington men are we'll represented
i'll the Chaplain Corps. There are ap-
proXlmately so District residents in the
Chaplain Corps of the Army and nearly
as many in the Navy. One of them.
Rabbi Alexander Goode, was one of the
chaplains giving rise to an act of un.
selfish heroism solidifying into great
great tradition.
Heroic Chaplains
A ship was torpedoed in the Atlantic.
Chaplalns George L. Fox and Clark v.
Pollre, Protestants; John p Washing
ton. Catholic. and Goode. Jewish. helped
the soldiers off and were preparing to
leave the ship when four young boys
came on deck. The lads had lost their
life-beits. Not a question was asked. not
a moment was lost. simultaneously tho
four chaplains stripped off their life
belts and each chaplain put his belt on
soldier. AS the men looked up from
the water in which they were swim
ming. they saw the four chaplains
standing hand in hand by the rail- That
was the way they were when the ship
went down. Representative list OF
District chaplains on Page Dis
Another episode. not as we'll known
to the public, concerns Chaplain Alloy
sius schmitt, trapped in a small COM
p2rtmCnt with several sailors on the
Oklahoma at Pearl HaYoor. Cniy a
small pcTthole opened to the sea. and
safety. Inside the water was rising.
Quickly Father Schlnitt pushed the
men, ore by one. through the portfolio.
He was finally the last man. Starting
to leave. he heard several men forcing
the door into the compartment. They
struggled in, the water swirling around
their hips Time was short. Brushing
arguments aside, Chaplain Schmitt re-
sumed his job of pushing men through
the portfolio. Whispering God save
you" to each man, Father schmitt was
asked by the last youth, Who's going to
save you?" He smiled THE same per-
son who is saving YOU Before he could
get through. however, the water rushed
in; the ship turned on its side and
Chaplain Schmitt. confident of being
saved for something beyond this life,
went down with the Oklahoma. ..- 30
And there are countless other acts Of
heroiSm, unrecorded and unheralded,
being lived over every day by the fight
ing parsons of this worldwide war:
heroism under fire, heroism in silent
watches that try mems souls, and ths
simple, unending heroism Of Inspiring
bravery and courage.