Community Commentary:

On Memorial Day, we recall with reverence the courage and sacrifice of our forbearers and honor those now in harm’s way. What follows is the true story of four men whose “last full measure of devotion” to God and country should never be forgotten.

Two days out of St. Johns, Newfoundland, fog, sleet and the buildup of ice, slowed the tiny Greenland-bound convoy of two merchant ships, an Army transport — the USAT Dorchester and three escorting Coast Guard cutters, to 10 knots. At 3:55 a.m. on Feb. 3, 1943, the Dorchester, with 751 soldiers aboard, was struck amidships by a single torpedo from a lurking German U-boat, taking out the engine room and leaving the ship and two thirds of those on board with but 20 minutes to live.

Due to panic and inexperience, only two life boats were successfully lowered. Soldiers struggled to find life preservers in anticipation of going into the frigid 34-degree water of the Labrador Sea, aware that 10 minutes in the water would result in death by hypothermia.

Amid the chaos, four Army Chaplains, handed out life jackets and attempted to calm the terrified young soldiers. When the last jackets had been handed out, the chaplains unhesitatingly gave their own life jackets and the chance to live to four others.

As the ship listed heavily to starboard, moments before going down by the bow, soldiers and sailors in the two life boats, floating several hundred yards away, could see the four chaplains linked arm in arm, and could hear the faint refrain of their hymns and prayers in English, Hebrew and Latin.

Of the 904 souls aboard the Dorchester, more than 200 were saved, most by the heroic efforts of the Coast Guardsmen, a number of whom dove into the freezing waters to help survivors climb the cargo nets that their frozen hands could not grasp.

Despite the differences in religious belief and background, the four chaplains had become fast friends while attending the Harvard University Military Chaplain School in late 1942. Snippets from their early years provide an insight into the life and family experiences which resulted in their dedication, service and willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man.