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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING FOUR HEROIC U.S. ARMY CHAPLAINS
WHEREAS, February 2, 2020 marks the 77th anniversary of the sinking of the U.S. troop ship, SS Dorchester; and
WHEREAS, on that day in 1943 while transporting soldiers overseas over the North Atlantic, the SS Dorchester was struck by a torpedo which knocked out the ship’s electrical system, leaving the ship dark which created panic among the men aboard, many of them trapped below deck. It is what happened during these crucial 20 minutes before the ship sank, the reason we remember this day; and
WHEREAS, in a final act of valor and courage, four U.S. Army first lieutenant chaplains Methodist Reverend George L. Fox, Roman Catholic Priest John P. Washington, Jewish Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Dutch Reformed faiths Reverend Clark V. Poling calmed the men and organized an orderly evacuation of the ship; and
WHEREAS, as they helped guide wounded men to safety into life boats and as life jackets were passed out to the men, the supply ran out. The chaplains removed their own life jackets and gave them to others. They then linked arms while praying and went down with the ship as it sank into the cold waters of the North Atlantic; and
WHEREAS, every year hence, citizens across our country have remembered the courage and extraordinary display of bravery from these four heroic men of faith, and
WHEREAS, this year’s memorial program is hosted by the Military Order of the Purple Heart and is sponsored annually by the Combined Veterans Association of Illinois.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, and the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby designate Sunday, February 2, 2020 FOUR CHAPLAINS SUNDAY in Cook County, in honor to preserve the memory of these individuals who demonstrated the ultimate supreme sacrifice at sea.
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