Richard I Bong Veteran’s Center to celebrate Four Chaplain’s Day with speaker program

The American troop ship, SS Dorchester, was sailing off Newfoundland on February 3, 1943 when it encountered a German submarine and came under torpedo fire. There were not enough life jackets for all the men on board so four chaplains, each of a different faith, who were traveling with them willingly gave up their own life jackets to save civilian and military personnel as the ship went down. In their last moments, the chaplains joined arms, said prayers, and sang hymns as they went down with the ship. It has been referred to as the second worst sea disaster of WWII.

Since the bombing took place in 1943, many military organizations and clubs across the country have observed Four Chaplains Day, and in 1998, a senate resolution was passed to recognize the 55th anniversary of the incident making Four Chaplains Day official.

“We are thrilled to be able to share the story of the Four Chaplains and help to bring awareness of these four brave men who voluntarily gave their lives so others could live”, said Briana Fiandt, Curator at the Bong Center. “We are also excited to give two chaplain veterans the chance to tell their stories of their work; which is an aspect of military service that isn’t often talked about.”

After a short presentation about the Four Chaplains, we will hear from veteran Darrell Kyle who was deployed as a chaplain in Southwest Asia in 2010 and Dianna Bell, who was the first female chaplain to serve in any U.S. branch of service.

Join the Bong Center in welcoming these speakers on Sunday, January 29th from 2 p.m. -3 p.m. at the Richard I Bong Veterans Historical Center. The Center is located at 305 Harbor View Parkway in Superior, Wisconsin. More info at bongcenter.org or call 715-392-7151.