World War 2 In Review: USAT Dorchester

Fox, Poling, Washington, and Goode join arms and pray together as GIs leave the sinking Dorchester.

by Francis X. Sculley

Through the inky darkness of the Arctic night, like the smallest lamb of the flock, the slow, study freighter, Dorchester followed far in the rear of the convoy. Greenland, the land of almost perpetual ice and snow, was the destination of the troop-laden ship that had once been used exclusively for coastal duty. The icy spray burst over the decks, freezing upon the foul weather gear of the watch, as they peered into the unknown. From a distance they detected a warning signal from the semaphore of a neighboring ship.

The convoy was being stalked by the underwater killer, the wolf-pack of the sea, German submarines. For hours on end, the slow-moving vessel had made its way through a maze of ice flows and bergs. Just three decades earlier, the Titanic had been practically disemboweled by one of these crystal mountains that appeared out of no-where. And now a new menace had been added, perhaps even more deadly than the saw-toothed mountains of ice.

Frantically the ship radioed for help … aid which Capt. Greenspun knew would never come. While in St. John's Newfoundland, he had been told that the North African invasion, plus the tremendous convoys that were Europe-bound, required complete protection. Hence the Dorchester and its companion ships would have to make it on their own. On that note the Dorchester headed into the January unknown, with the further knowledge that German U-boats were sinking Allied ships at the rate of three per day. The icy seas between Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland swarmed with German submarines.

Since 22 January 1943, when the Dorchester had left New York, the ship's officers had conducted daily lifeboat drills. The teenaged troops were told over and over again that in the event of disaster, they were to go over the side as quickly as possible and then head away from the vessel. Greenspun knew that in the event of such a calamity, death would result within two minutes. No one could survive longer in the frigid waters. There was also the problem of the killer whales and leopard seals, both man-eaters. No one was to remove his life jacket at any time, and the red blinker light on the shoulder was to be constantly checked. With lumps in his throat, Greenspun confided to his officers and the four chaplains aboard the ship that in the event of a collision with pan ice or being struck by torpedoes, few would escape.

Down in the stinking hold on that fateful night of 2 February 1943, were the four chaplains who had frequently discussed the hazards of the voyage. All were aware that stark terror among the young soldiers was almost epidemic. So that night the quartet held a songfest in the hold, even though scores were confined to their bunks with seasickness. The stench of the vomit, decomposed urine (which was at least a foot deep in a lengthy trough), plus the stifling heat had many of the youngsters on the verge of collapse. A few, reeling like boxers after undergoing a barrage of rights and lefts, made for the deck. In their agony of illness, they left their life jackets on their bunks. To add to the problems of the ship and its young passengers, heavy weather was encountered.

The Dorchester was now almost a mile from the convoy, with the distance increasing by the moment. Over sixty percent of the passengers were disabled, as the four chaplains led the troops through a sing-a-long. Half-heartedly, the youngsters gave out with a few bars of "The Old Rugged Cross," followed by a dismal attempt at "It's a Long Way to Tipperary."

At one o'clock the ship's bells rang twice, the last they were ever to strike. Some of the men had fallen asleep, while a few retched in agony as they floundered toward the "head," now a sea of vomit and slime.

On the deck the four chaplains spoke in muffled tones. The situation on the Dorchester was desperate. Attack was imminent; and all realized that few, in any, could survive in the Arctic waters.

Oldest of the quartet was Chaplain George Lansing Fox, of Altoona, Pennsylvania. A hero of World War I, he had earned the Silver Star for heroism, the Purple Heart, and the French Croix de Guerre. He had feared that his age might keep him out of the conflict. Fox was a Protestant.

Father John Washington had dedicated his life to the pursuit of the priesthood at an early age. Many of the parishioners where he worshiped recalled his voice in the children's choir, particularly the great Catholic carol known as "Adeste Fidelis" (O, Come, All Ye Faith-ful). Before he was 20, he was director of a boy's club in New York. He was ordained on 15 June 1935, and was assigned to St. Genevieve Parish, in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Chaplain Clark V. Poling, youngest of the group, was a Unitarian minister and had joined the shipment directly from Fort Benjamin Harrison, in Indiana. A graduate of Rutgers, young Poling was one of the most respected students at the New Brunswick school, and a brilliant future had been predicted for him by dozens of educators.

Rabbi Alexander D. Goode was the father of four children and one of the most beloved citizens of York, Pennsylvania. Once, during "Brotherhood Week," he had written: "Where there is intolerance and bigotry in our midst, let us take steps to enlighten the uninformed. The best cure against religious hatred is information. Let us grow to know one another." The brilliant Jew was an outstanding member of the Elks, the Rotary, and active in the YMCA (there being no YMHA in York).

The ominous premonition of mortal danger had permeated the ship's officers, its crews, and the troops almost since the time the 378-foot craft left New York, on 23 January. All were aware that the Dorchester was too slow for deep sea duty, unless it were in the center of a large convoy. The men of God were aware that a submarine had been on the tail of the converted freighter all the way to St. John's, Newfoundland. Nets protected the great port (which was penetrated in 1944), and when the ship docked for a few hours, the men aboard the Dorchester breathed a sigh of relief-particularly the chaplains, who were fully aware of the hazards the ships had been undergoing.

When the order came separating the Dorchester from the great convoy that was heading for Europe, the feeling of doom again crept over the ship. It could not be concealed from the troops, particularly when they saw the size of their convoy and its scant protection.

Shortly after two bells there was a thunderous explosion, as a torpedo struck the Dorchester squarely midship and several feet below the waterline. Scores of young soldiers were killed instantly, with bodies hurled against the steel walls like rag dolls. In inky darkness, soldiers and sailors struggled for survival, as they boiled up onto the deck. The ship developed a sudden list to port as scores headed for the lifeboats.

In the rough weather and heavy seas the lifeboats banged against the sides of the ship, crushing many in their vain attempts to board the little crafts. The sea now resembled a hay field on a June evening, alive with fireflies. For a few moments the red lights blinked and then they were extinguished. God was merciful; few lived more than a moment or two.

"I lost my life jacket and I can't swim," wailed one terrified youth.

"Take mine, son. I won't be needing it. I'm staying with the ship," quietly remarked Father Washington.

Walking up and down the deck, which now had a pitch like a barn roof, the chaplains distributed the few remaining jackets, helping the youngsters into the lifeboats. Those that dived over the side and headed for the open sea were given a few words of comfort. No one doubts that Rabbi Goode blessed many a Christian youth in his final moments on earth.

As kids by the score disappeared beneath the waves, there was a mighty rumble as the ship began to slide beneath the water. The few survivors beheld a sight that would remain with them forever. On the deck, with their arms around one another, stood the four chaplains. There was a muffled underwater rumble, as machinery was torn loose from its moorings, and then the Dorchester disappeared forever, carrying the four chaplains and those who chose to remain with them to a watery grave.

It was many months before America was fully aware of the tragedy in the waters off the Greenland coast, primarily because it would bring comfort to the enemy to reveal the disaster.

The heroism of the four chaplains transcended any other act of the war, and few wars had as many heroes as did World War II. It also did much to end the three centuries of bigotry and intolerance that have divided Protestant and Catholic. The nobility of Rabbi Goode brought all to an awareness that there is a "brotherhood of man." York, Pennsylvania, has a many-million dollar school dedicated in honor of one of America's greatest heroes-a Jewish Rabbi.

Perhaps the heroism of the men, all of diverse faiths, can best be described by extracts taken from the General Order, which awarded posthumously to all, the Congressional Medal of Honor:

With complete disregard of their own safety, the chaplains made their way on deck and went among the confused, fear-stricken men, encouraging them, praying with them, and assisting them into their lifeboats and life jackets.

According to affidavits of the Dorchester survivors, fear of the icy water had made many aboard almost helpless, convinced as they were that such a plunge could bring only death. The chaplains calmed them and are given credit for saving many men by persuading them to go overboard where there was a chance of rescue.

Many of the survivors reported seeing the chaplains standing together on the Dorchester's forward deck, handing out life jackets and belts from a box. When the box was empty, each chaplain removed his own precious life jacket and gave it to another man. They must have known, as it was pointed out, that in so doing they were sacrificing their own lives.

The ship was sinking by the bow, when men in the water and in lifeboats saw the chaplains link arms and raise their voices in prayer. They were still on the deck praying together when the ship made its final plunge.

Said Brigadier General William Arnold, Chief of Chaplains, when speaking of the quartet, "It has been an unwavering beacon for thousands of Chaplains of the armed forces."

They died nobly together that others might live nobly together in brotherhood.

Legacy

The 60-minute TV documentary The Four Chaplains: Sacrifice at Sea was produced in 2004.

It was announced in 2008 that development of a movie based on the chaplains' story, titled Lifeboat 13, had begun. As of January 2013, however, no further information had been released about the project.

The book Sea of Glory: The Magnificent Story of the Four Chaplains, written by Francis Beauchesne Thornton, was published by Prentice Hall in 1953.

The book No Greater Glory: The Four Immortal Chaplains and the Sinking of the Dorchester in World War II, written by Dan Kurzman, was published by Random House in 2004.

Sea of Glory: Based on the True WW II Story of the Four Chaplains and the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, written by Ken Wales and David Poling, is a 2006 book published by B&H Publishing Group. As the title indicates, it is "based on" the story, not an actual factual account.

The story of the Four Chaplains was also printed in the form of a comic book, "Chaplains at War," "The Living Bible #3," 1946.

A composition entitled "The Light Eternal," written by James Swearingen in 1992, tells the story of the Four Chaplains through music.

In addition to the stained glass windows recalling the chaplains and their heroism, paintings include

Four Chaplains, 1943, by Alton Tobey

"A Moment of Peace," Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, painted by Steven Carter.

The Four Chaplains, Chapel of Four Chaplains.

"The Four Chaplains," by Art Seidan (the four, pictured at the rail of the ship).

Four chaplains mural, by artist Connie Burns Watkins, commissioned by the Rotary Club of York, Pennsylvania.

Four Chaplains mural, painted by Dean Fausett, at entrance to Joseph "Ziggy" Kahn Gymnasium, Jewish Community Center Irene Kaufman Building, Squirrel Hill, Pennsylvania.

"Four Chaplains mural", painted by Connie Burns Watkins, in York, Pennsylvania.

Four Chaplains mural, painted by Nils Hogner, at the Chapel of Four Chaplains

Four Chaplains monument and eternal flame, River view park, Sebastian Florida

The two-hour audio documentary No Greater Love tells the story, including interviews with survivors, rescuers, and naval historians.

The 23rd degree conferred by the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, entitled "Knight of Valor" tells the story of the four chaplains as a lesson of personal sacrifice to aid one's fellow man.

On December 19, 1944, all four chaplains were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross.

Congress also attempted to confer the Medal of Honor on each of the four chaplains, but the stringent requirements for that medal required heroism performed "under fire," and the bravery and ultimate sacrifice of these men did not technically qualify, since their actions took place after the torpedo attack. Therefore, members of Congress decided to authorize a special medal intended to have the same weight and importance as the Medal of Honor.

Four Chaplains Day

In 1988, February 3 was established by a unanimous act of Congress as an annual "Four Chaplains Day." Some state or city officials commemorate the day with official proclamations, sometimes including the order that flags fly at half-mast in memory of the fallen chaplains. In some cases, official proclamations establish observances at other times: for example, North Dakota legislation requests that the Governor issue an annual proclamation establishing the first Sunday in February as "Four Chaplains Sunday."

The day is also observed as a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

Chapel of Four Chaplains

The Chapel of the Four Chaplains was dedicated on February 3, 1951, by President Harry S. Truman to honor these chaplains of different faiths in the basement of Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia. In 1972, that congregation moved to Blue Bell and sold the building to Temple University two years later. Temple University eventually decided to renovate the building as the Temple Performing Arts Center. In February 2001, the Chapel of the Four Chaplains moved to the chapel at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

In his dedication speech, the President said, "This interfaith shrine... will stand through long generations to teach Americans that as men can die heroically as brothers so should they live together in mutual faith and goodwill."

The Chapel dedication included a reminder that the interfaith team represented by the Four Chaplains was unusual. Although the Chapel was dedicated as an All-Faiths Chapel, no Catholic priest took part in the dedication ceremony, because, as Msgr. Thomas McCarthy of the National Catholic Welfare Conference explained to Time magazine, "canon law forbids joint worship."

In addition to supporting work that exemplifies the idea of Interfaith in Action, recalling the story of the Four Chaplains, the Chapel presents awards to individuals whose work reflects interfaith goals. 1984 was the first time that the award went to a military chaplain team composed of a rabbi, priest, and minister, recalling in a special way the four chaplains themselves, when the Rabbi Louis Parris Hall of Heroes Gold Medallion was presented to Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff; Catholic Priest Fr. George Pucciarelli; and Protestant Minister Danny Wheeler—the three chaplains present at the scene of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. The story of these three United States Navy Chaplains was itself memorialized in a Presidential speech (video version) (text version) by President Ronald Reagan, on April 12, 1984.

Memorial Foundations

The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation, the only 501(c)(3) charity related to the Four Chaplains' legacy, is housed at the former U.S. Naval Chapel located at the former South Philadelphia Navy Yard. Its official mission statement is "to further the cause of 'unity without uniformity' by encouraging goodwill and cooperation among all people. The organization achieves its mission by advocating for and honoring people whose deeds symbolize the legacy of the Four Chaplains aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester in 1943." In addition to its other goals and objectives, it supports memorial services that honor the memory of the chaplains and tell their story by publishing Guidelines for Four Chaplains Interfaith Memorial Services. Additionally, it sponsors an "Emergency Chaplains Corps" to provide support for first responders in disaster situations, and scholarship competitions for graduating high school seniors, focusing on the values of "inclusion, cooperation, and unity" exemplified by the Four Chaplains story. The competitions include a National Art Scholarship contest, a National Essay Scholarship contest, and a National Project Lifesaver Scholarship contest.

The Immortal Chaplains Foundation was incorporated in October 1997 as a Minnesota non-profit corporation. The original concept for the Foundation was from David Fox, nephew of Chaplain George Fox, and Rosalie Goode Fried, the daughter of Chaplain Alexander Goode. The organization's goal is "to honor individuals, both past and present, whose lives exemplify the compassion of the four 'Immortal Chaplains' and who have risked all to protect others of different faith or ethnicity." The group presents an annual "Prize for Humanity," "to broaden national and international awareness of the legacy of the four 'Immortal Chaplains,'" "to inspire youth to the values of the four 'Immortal Chaplains,'" and "to find new partners and ways to tell this story and preserve the legacy." At the 1999 Award Ceremony, held in Minnesota, South African Bishop Desmond Tutu helped present Prizes for Humanity that included posthumous awards for Amy Biehl, an American Stanford University student and Fulbright scholar who was stabbed to death in South Africa while working to establish a Legal Education Center; and Charles W. David, an African-American Coast Guardsman on board the Coast Guard Cutter Comanche, who rescued many of the Dorchester survivors, later dying from pneumonia as a result of his efforts. Unfortunately, the establishment of the Immortal Chaplains Foundation included some controversy, when The Chapel of Four Chaplains sued Fox to prevent him and his new group from using the phrase "The Four Chaplains" or the image of them that appeared on the U.S. postage stamp.

Chapels and Sanctuaries

Immortal Chaplains Memorial Sanctuary - On the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, and operated by The Immortal Chaplains Foundation. The foundation was founded by the chaplains' families and survivors of the Dorchester tragedy, including 3 survivors of U-boat 223, which sank the Dorchester on February 3, 1943. The Queen Mary transported these men to the USA as POWs one year after the sinking of the Dorchester.

The chapel at the Pittsburgh International Airport was dedicated to the four chaplains in 1994.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, Four Chaplains' Memorial Chapel & Family Life Center.

Chapel at Camp Tuckahoe, Boy Scouts of America, in York County, Pennsylvania, dedicated in memory of Chaplain Goode.

Stained Glass Windows

United States Pentagon, "A" Ring.

Fort Bliss, Texas, in U.S. Army Sergeant Majors Academy "Four Chaplains Classroom."

Fort Snelling, Minnesota, Chapel of Immortal Chaplains

National Cathedral, Washington, D.C, Heroes Chapel Window

Post Chapel at West Point.

Memorial Chapel, United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, Orlando, Florida, North American Saints Window.

Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Sculptures and Plaques

Brotherhood Memorial, Cleveland Cultural Gardens, Rockefeller Park, Cleveland OH. Installed in 1953. Large granite pillar upon which there is a bronze plaque of the Four Chaplains standing in the prow of a large boat with an angelic figure behind and above them. Text memorializes, by name, each chaplain and finishes with "...the unity of this nation founded upon the truth of human brotherhood."

Memorial at Arbor Crest Cemetery, created by sculptor Carlton W. Angell, dedicated to the Four Chaplains in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1954.

Memorial plaque at Belmont Park Racecourse in Elmont, New York. It is located behind the clubhouse section of the grandstand. It is bolted onto a rock on the walkway leading to the racing secretary's office.

Memorial plaque in the main lobby (second floor) of the Kings County Courthouse, at 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York.

Memorial, public park, Dorchester, Wisconsin.

Memorial plaque ("The Four Chaplains Marker"), Kingwood Memorial Park, Ohio.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Hebron, Maryland: memorials set up both inside and outside of the church.

Plaque, Rhode Island State House, commemorating the Four Chaplains and a Rhode Island native, Walter McHugh, a Coast Guard member who also lost his life on the Dorchester.

Four Chaplains Memorial, resembling a flying white bird at the top of the National Memorial Park entrance driveway, Washington, D.C., by abstract expressionist, Constantino Nivola.

Four Chaplains Memorial, Ft. Wadsworth, Staten Island, New York.

Four Chaplains Monument, Bottineau, North Dakota.

Memorial, Huntington Park, Newport News, Virginia.

Memorial plaque, Cedarhurst Park, Cedarhurst, New York

Memorial sculpture, Washington Park Cemetery, Indiana.

Wax display at the National Historical Wax Museum (open from 1958 to 1982, now closed) in Washington, D.C.

Memorial outside American Legion Post 61, Sterling St., Watertown, NY.

Four Chaplains Monument, Timothy Frost United Methodist Church, Thetford Center, Vermont. From 1936 to 1938, Rev. George Lansing Fox served as the pastor of this church and the church in Union Village Vermont.

Four Chaplains Memorial, outside St. Stephen's Church, Kearny, NJ. St. Stephen's was Father Washington's last assignment before he joined the Army. On the 70th Anniversary of the sinking of the Dorchester, this statue was dedicated. The front shows the four men, arms locked, praying on the stern of the Dorchester, and the back is an angel, carrying four lifejackets for the men.

Memorial at Olathe Veterans Memorial Park, in Olathe, Kansas.

Plaque, elevator lobby second floor, Raymond G Murphy VA Medical Center, Albuquerque, NM

Plaque dedicated to the Four Immortal Chaplains, at the entrance to the Albany, New York War Memorial.

"SS Dorchester" plaque, front lobby, Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, NY.

Miscellaneous Remembrances

The Four Chaplains Memorial Viaduct, carrying Ohio State Route 172 over the Tuscarawas River in Massillon, Ohio, was built in 1949 and refurbished in 1993. It is part of the old Lincoln Highway. A memorial plaque can be found on the eastern end.

"Field of the Four Chaplains" at Fort Benning, Georgia.

The 23rd Degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (Northern Jurisdiction) is based on the Four Chaplains incident, teaching "that faith in God will find expression in love for our fellow man, even to the ultimate personal sacrifice".

Alexander D. Goode Elementary School in York, Pennsylvania. Students honor the four Chaplains annually.

Four Chaplains Memorial Swimming Pool, Veterans Hospital, Bronx, New York.

Knights of Columbus Council #13901, located at Fort Leonard Wood is known as the "Four Chaplains Council".

Ceremonies and Services

Ceremonies and services are held each year on or around the Feb 3 "Four Chaplains Day" by numerous military and civilian groups and organizations. Civitan International, a worldwide volunteer association of service clubs, holds an interfaith Clergy Appreciation Week every year. The event honors the sacrifice of the Four Chaplains by encouraging citizens to thank the clergy that serve their communities. The First Parish Church (Unitarian Universalist) in Dorchester, Massachusetts, hosts an ecumenical "Service of the Four Chaplains" each January. The American Legion commemorates the day through services and programs at many posts throughout the nation.

On February 14, 2002, as part of the annual award of the Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity, a special reconciliation meeting took place between survivors of both the American and German sides of the sinking of the Dorchester. Kurt Röser and Gerhard Buske, who had been part of the crew of the German U-boat that had torpedoed the Dorchester met with three Dorchester survivors, Ben Epstein, Walter Miller, and David Labadie, as well as Dick Swanson, who had been on board the Coast Guard Cutter Comanche, escorting the Dorchester 's convoy.

On February 3, 2011, the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and the United States Navy Memorial co-hosted a special program at the Memorial, in Washington, D.C.

The Jewish Chaplains Monument at Arlington National Cemetery's Chaplains' Hill was dedicated on October 24, 2011. The monument honors 14 Jewish chaplains who died during their military service. The monument is a granite upright with a bronze plaque, similar to the three other monuments at the site honoring Catholic, Protestant and World War I chaplains. Rabbi Goode's name is the first listed on the plaque. The Jewish Chaplains Monument was approved by the United States Congress in May 2011, and the monument itself, designed by Debora Jackson of Long Island, New York, was reviewed and approved by the U.S. Fine Arts Commission on June 16, 2011. The dedication ceremony was held in Arlington's Memorial Amphitheater. The ceremony was attended by Ernie Heaton, who survived the Dorchester sinking, and Richard Swanson who was on the Coast Guard rescue team.

The Four Chaplains of S.S. Dorchester.

Methodist minister the Reverend George L. Fox.

Reform Rabbi Alexander D. Goode (Ph.D.).

Reformed Church in America minister the Reverend Clark V. Poling.

Roman Catholic priest the Reverend John P. Washington.

SS Dorchester as a civilian liner, pre-war.

USAT Dorchester.

The SS Dorchester. Once a luxury coastal liner, the 5,649-ton vessel had been converted into an Army transport ship but was not an official United States Army Transport (USAT),

USAT Dorchester.

USAT Dorchester leaving St. John's Harbor on the way to Greenland in the fall of 1942.

Painting of the rescue of USAT Dorchester survivors by USCGC Escanaba (WPG-77) on 3 February 1943 in the North Atlantic Ocean. Only 230 of the 904 men aboard the ship were rescued. Life jackets offered little protection from hypothermia, which killed most men in the water. The water temperature was 34 °F (1 °C) and the air temperature was 36 °F (2 °C). By the time additional rescue ships arrived, "hundreds of dead bodies were seen floating on the water, kept up by their life jackets."

Painting of the four chaplains praying as the ship is sinking.

Post card depicting "The four heroic chaplains of World War II, Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Lt. George L. Fox, Lt. Clark V. Poling, Lt. John P. Washington, who gave their lives and gained immortality when the SS Dorchester was torpedoed and went down off Greenland, February 3, 1943."

Painting of the four chaplains praying as soldiers leave the sinking Dorchester.

The only surviving life jacket from the USAT Dorchester, located at the U.S. Army Chaplain Museum, Ft. Jackson, South Carolina.

USCGC Escanaba in camouflage paint scheme during its deployment with the Greenland Patrol.

Obverse and Reverse of Four Chaplains Medal. This award, the Four Chaplains' Medal, was approved by a unanimous act of Congress on July 14, 1960, through Public law 86-656 of the 86th Congress. The medals were presented posthumously to the next of kin of each of the Four Chaplains by Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker at Ft. Myer, Virginia on January 18, 1961. In 2006, National Executive Committee of The American Legion, at the Legion's 88th National Convention in Salt Lake City, passed a resolution urging Congress to revisit the issue of awards, and award the Medal of Honor to Fox, Goode, Poling and Washington.

Four Chaplains stamp, 1948.

First version. The chaplains were honored with a commemorative stamp that was issued in 1948, and was designed by Louis Schwimmer, the head of the Art Department of the New York branch of the U.S. Post Office Department (now called the USPS). This stamp is highly unusual, because until 2011, U.S. stamps were not normally issued in honor of someone other than a President of the United States until at least ten years after his or her death.

Four Chaplains Stamp on official first day cover, 1948. The stamp went through three revisions before the final design was chosen. None of the names of the chaplains were included on the stamp, nor were their faiths (although the faiths had been listed on one of the earlier designs): instead, the words on the stamp were "These Immortal Chaplains...Interfaith in Action." Another phrase included in an earlier design that was not part of the final stamp was "died to save men of all faiths." By the omission of their names, the stamp commemorated the event, rather than the individuals per se, thus obfuscating the ten-year rule in the same way as did later stamps honoring Neil Armstrong in 1969 and Buzz Aldrin in 1994.