The True Story of the Four Chaplains
Chaplain George Fox
George Fox was the foldest of the Four Chaplains. In Vermont, he was called "the little minister" because he was 5'7". Lying about his age in 1917, he enlisted in the Army as a medical corps assistant. He received the Silver Star for rescuing a wounded soldier from a battlefield filled with poison gas, although he wore no gas mask himself, and the Croix de Guerre for outstanding bravery in an artillery barrage that left him with a broken spine. After the war, he became a successful accountant. He was happily married with two children when he heard God's call to the ministry. Fox went back to school and later was ordained as a Methodist minister. When war came, he once again enlisted, telling his wife, "I've got to go. I know from experience what our boys are about to face. They need me." Before he boarded Dorchester, he wrote a letter to his daughter. "I want you to know," he wrote, "how proud I am that your marks in school are so high - but always remember that kindness and charity and courtesy are much more important."
No commentsU.S.A.T. Dorchester
On Jnaurayr 283, 1943, the USAT Dorchester left New York harbor boud for Greenland carrying 902 officers, servicemen and civilian workers. The Dorchestor was escorted by three Coast Guard cutters. On February 2, one of hte cutters detected the presence of a submarine but failed to find the submarine's position. The C.O. of the Dorchester ordered the men to sleep in their clothing, with life jackets close at hand. They were only 150 miles from Greenland and daylight would bring air cover from the American base.
Down in the old coverted cruise ship's stifling hold, four U.S. Army chaplains circulated among the frightened young men, some lying wide-eyed in their bunks, others nevously playing cards or shooting dice. Those chaplains were Lt. George L. Fox, Medthodist; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Jewish; Lt. John P. Washington, Catholic; and Lt. Clark V. Poling, Reformed. Chatting with the troops, the chaplains eased tensions, calmed fears and passed out soda crackers to alleviate seasickness.
American Legion Merrick Post No. 1282 and Auxiliary Unit 1282 Holiday Party
at Guy Anthony's 2208 Jerusalem Avenue, North Merrick
Fried Zucchini and Mozzoarella Sticks with Marinara Dipping Sauce and Facaccia Bread
Pasta
Choice of Entree:
Chicken Francaise
Sliced Steak with Fried Onions or w/ Mushrooms
Grilled Atlantic Salmon
Vegetarian Eggplaft Parmesan
Soda, Coffee or Tea
Dessert
Your check payable to Merrick Post No. 1282 for $20 per person is due before December 1, 2022. Mail your check to Joe Ambrosino at 20 Rutgers Place, Merrick, NY 11566-4232.
Male = man's gift Female = Woman's gift or unisex gift.
 |
| Holiday Party 2022 |
Eleventh Hour Ritual
" The following correspondence was emailed to me by our present Commander Robert E. Dishman concerning Veterans Day"
My Comrades, it is now the eleventh hour. This pause is to remind us that the hour of eleven has a tender significance to all members of The American Legion. It was on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour that the guns of World War One ceased firing and silence encompassed the earth. It was at eleven that a delirium of joy and thanksgiving swept over humanity. It was at eleven that the last man died in battle. It was then that the soul of The American Legion was born. It was then that our obligation to our country and to her honored dead was conceived. World War Two has been fought, and with the cessation of hostilities in Korea and Vietnam, and subsequent places, our honored dead lie in many foreign battlefields. Shall we in our jubilation of peace forget our comrades?