Guest speaker says World War II story can inspire all Americans “to be sacrificial for one another.”
Lt. Col. Nick Spletstoser knows the story of the Four Chaplains well.
A chaplain in the South Carolina National Guard for more than 20 years, he remembers hearing about them early in his training – the rabbi, Catholic priest and two Protestant pastors who gave their life jackets to fellow soldiers when their troop transport was torpedoed in the icy North Atlantic on Feb. 3, 1943.
Survivors of the Dorchester’s sinking – 230 of the 902 military and civilian personnel on board – said they last saw the four Army chaplains standing on the sloping deck, arms linked, praying and singing. More than 80 years later, their actions are considered the highest example of courage, unity and selfless service.
“The story both inspires and challenges us as chaplains to understand the lengths we must be willing to go to care for our servicemen and women,” Spletstoser says.
More than that, the Four Chaplains inspire all Americans “to be sacrificial for one another, and to care for others regardless what they believe,” he adds.
On Sunday, Feb. 2, Spletstoser will be the guest speaker at a Four Chaplains Day program put on by Dexter Allen American Legion Post 90 in Statesboro, Ga. – the post’s first such event, at the city’s Averitt Center for the Arts. The program will start at 2 p.m. Eastern and is scheduled for livestream.
Bobby Godwin, commander of Post 90, says the event will include a dramatic presentation of the chaplains’ final act, prayers and hymns from their faith traditions, as well as reflections on the lives of the Rev. George Fox, Rabbi Alexander Goode, the Rev. Clark Poling and Father John Washington.
“I’m hoping it will go over well,” says Godwin, who served in the Army from 1994 to 1997. “We have a great veteran base here. Whether they are members of the VFW or The American Legion, they show up, and so do members of our community. We’d like this to become an annual event.”
Founded in 1919, Post 90 is regaining visibility after the tough years of the pandemic, connecting with the Statesboro community through its traditional Memorial Day and Veterans Day services but new events too – a stand down for homeless veterans, a veterans town hall focused on VA care, and, now, a Four Chaplains Day observance.
For many, the program will be their first time hearing about the Four Chaplains, Spletstoser says.
“Those who come to see it will hear a story that is more than gunfire and heroism in combat. They will hear about the silent heroism that regular people can have – certainly like these chaplains. They don’t carry weapons, even in combat, but they carry their faith, and they carry assurance, and they carry hope to people when they're going through a dreadful time. And that is probably a more powerful weapon to defeat our fears and depressions and grief than anything else out there.
“All of us in small ways can do that for others around us. This story can educate and inform the community, and inspire us once again to just be better.”
In 2024, 1,767 American Legion posts nationwide reported organizing or participating in Four Chaplains Day events. For suggestions on how to conduct a Four Chaplains Day program or observance, download the Legion’s free guide.
Read more about the Four Chaplains here.
- Honor & Remembrance