New England bulletin., 1949-04-30
SOUND OFF The Dept. For Vets and CTS
 By Glenn Douglass
Thanks Chaplain Edwards

Several columns back we wrote about a military re-bu- rial service which we attended. A buddy of ours had been re- turned from overseas and we commented that the service was impressive in every re- spect except an incident which occurred graveside at the ceme- tery. The Army chaplain there, we noted, had recited the brief service at the grave just as though it was something he had memoriZed studiOusly and cared nothing about. There was no feeling, no interest, we re- called.
 "Sound Off, has received a yer. ,nlightening letter from Rev. Joh1 I. Edwards, Rector of New Hay ,n's Whalley Avenue Saint Luke Church. Dr. Edwards communica ion, we feel, is a very significan ,ne and we have reproduced it be ow in it's entirety:
 "Upon the receipt of my copy of this weeks BULLE- TIN," Father Edwards writes, sT was somewhat disturbed by the article Sound Off by Glenn Douglass. In particular, that section referring to the chap lains at military funerals. Since I am the only Negro chaplain of World War IT in New Haven, I feel obligated to make some statement in this connection. I don't know what the practice is in Hartford, but as far as I>knOw, no chap lain has been asked by the Veterans Administration or any other official or semi-of- ficial agency, to take part in the burial services of any of our returned war dead. Certain ly, I have not been asked to take part in any and I consid- CT myself well-qualified, hav- ing been assigned to the cen- tral cemetery on the island of Okinawa for over six months and also serving as the regi- mental chaplain of the 24th Infantry overseas. Also I am a member of the American Le- zion here in New Haven and have pastored St. Luke's Church for the past eighteen years.
 HE WOULD BE WILLING
 s1, for one, would be only too willing to serve at the fu- neral services of any ex-serv- iceman, if asked, and I believe that I speak for any other Ne gro chaplain who might be in the other cities of our State. No Negro clergyman that I have ever heard conducted a service in san uninspired man. ner as though he were reciting rote." I feel that the family or whoever was charged with
 the responsibility for the fu- neral service mentioned in the
 article would have made the effort to secure a Negro chap
 lain. Again, speaking for the
 people of New Haven, I know
 that this has not been done,
 not even by the American
 Legion post itself; no effort
 has been made to secure the
 services of any army chaplain
 and, in some cases, the funeral
 has been advertised as 'SmiE-
 tary buria1.''
 To quote again from the article "It seems, however, that a chaplai assigned to administer this fin; solace to families of the dead coul exert himself just a tiny bit to ( a sincere iob." If the families ar and veterans organizations woul make the necessary exertion then selves to secure the services of u chaplains they have in their con munities, there would not be son of the queer services and unfee ing conduct that we occasionally ol serve"
 "Sound Off, wants to expres the sincere thanks of this depar ment to. the Rev. Edwards, wh to our knowledge, is not only g able pulpiteer, but also very fir person.
 His advice. in this matter, we b, 1ieve is absolutely sound.
 Further, we promise to look int the matter of why VA and vet O. ganizations do not make attemp' to secure the services of Arm chaplains in some way connecte with the deceased - or, at leas who will not act as though they al turning out condolences mass pr'