Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-05-10

HEROES
BY Mark
Hellinger
special 70 THE DETROIT TINES

ANA w n, ApIll 80 NutldycuJ
l. Shake hands with 1t.
Francis T. Cooke. chaplain on
this much-bombed island. He's
quite a guy. i don't know II
it's precisely proper TO use that
phrase about a Congregational
minister who was president OF
Yale Alumni Divinity School for
several years, but that's how
the boys refer TO him, and what
the boys say is good enough for
me. So-he's quite a guy.
Frank nobody calls him
DR.. Cooke around here; he's
either Frank or Hey, Chaplain"
lis tall and thin. The navy
sent him in four days after the
invasion. He's been here ever
since, and he's lost % pounds
In the processs---------------
didn't set out 10 do a piece
on Frank. AS a graduate of
Broadway during the prohibi-
ton era, / must sadly admit
that my acquaintanceship with
doctors OF divinity has existed
on a rather limited basis. So ]
was something more than
startled when, after we were in.
PRODUCED, he said:
well, well! Mark Hellinger,
Ell? Always wanted TO say
hello TO you. Wasn't II too bad
Texas Guinan had 10 die 80
early: And whatever became
Of Imogene Wilson, And do you
ever hear from Owney Mad
dem"
NOW If that had happened In
~ Hollywood, / might not have
been too surprised. Anything
can happen in Hollywood, in
Guiding Enrol Flynn. But 10
have minister dig those names
out OF the past. and TO have
them popped at you on the Is
land OF Tarawa some 1000 miles
from Broadway-weil, this was
Ripley special.
i grabbed his arm.
chaplain" said, we're 90
Ing right to your tent. may
not know much about your
business. but you sure know q
lot about mine. Let's go"
We went. And that's how
stories are born
FRANKS experiences on Ia.
Il rawa. from the day he landed
until We met today, merit far
more space than ! can devote 10
them here. All | can say is that
he seldom slept during that hor-
rible first m Mt h. that he
soothed the wounded and helped
bury the dead. that he tried 10
Joke IN the -heaA.e&+ aiF-Faias
that he held services whenever
possible and that the dayS and ,
nlg hts were all too short for
work ne had in hand.
There was another chaplain
on the island then Father Nor
ton who has since left The
Congregational minister and the
Catholic priest worked together
IN complete harmony II was
ldeallsm in practice.
Speaking Of such things. I
learned later that Francis Cooke
= had taken yet another step be-
You'd the line Of duty. The Jew.
ISL men had no chaplain on the
standard Frank had studied
Hebrew az divinity school. So
he volunteered his services. and
they were gratefully accepted.
From that day 70 this then.
he has conducted Hebrew serv-
ices on the Sabbath. The Jew
ISL lads love him for II. and the
other boys respect him for il.
And when the Congregational
minister, acting as rabbi. leads
his Jewish friends in an ancient
Hebrew chant on the eve Of the
Jewish Sabbath. there is quiet
on this island Of bristlinc guns.
And harmony. And peace OF
thought.
WHAT would some OF our
w choice bigots back home
say 10 that? Maybe. If they
came 10 Tarawa and saw these
things they. too, might find out
what real Americans are fight.
ing for. Real Americans like
Francis Cooke.
| asked this practical man n,
God question II was tough
question, and he might very
rightly have refused me an
answer. But he didn't.
Seeing what you've seen
down here" / asked him. do
you feel you made mistakes IN
your earlier preachings: I
mean. would you offer the same
word now that YOU uttered
back In the Broadway taber-
nacle?"
He shook his head slowly.
NO" he replied. II have
sense OF comradeship now that
l never had before. I know now
that we are not living these
experiences for ourselves, but to
lead others. know now the
true meanings Of such words
as duty, sacrifice loyalty and
unselfshness."
~~~>>~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~N