Tomorrow, February 3, 2024, is the 81st anniversary of the sinking of the United States Army Transport (USAT) Dorchester and numerous legendary acts of selflessness by four U.S. Army Chaplains, all representing different faiths, who found themselves together onboard. In all likelihood but still uncertain, the feats of the four Chaplains consumed little more than an hour onboard the ship.

Four Chaplains Day was established by Congress in 1988 to honor these men for their unfathomable devotion and sacrifice as they fitted others with rescue gear and gave away their own, giving of their lives that as many others as possible might survive. On Feb. 3, 1943, off the coast of Newfoundland, the USAT Dorchester was sunk by a German submarine, U-223. The Dorchester had left New York City less than two weeks earlier as part of a three-ship convoy bound for Greenland.

Some 900 men were onboard, including the four relatively new Army chaplains. Alexander Goode was Jewish, Clark Poling was Baptist, George Fox was Methodist, and John Washington was Catholic. Today, there are numerous honors dedicated to the four Chaplains. For additional details about the heroic acts and subsequent recognitions, courtesy of The Army Historical Foundation, click here.