- Aloysius Schmitt
Father Aloysius H. Schmitt (
December 4 ,1909 –December 7 ,1941 ) was a Roman Catholic priest of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque , who served as achaplain in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II .Early life and ordination
Born in
St. Lucas, Iowa , Fr. Schmitt studied atLoras College inDubuque, Iowa . He then studied in Rome for the priesthood. He was ordained onDecember 8 ,1935 . Father Schmitt was assigned to parishes in Dubuque, and one inCheyenne, Wyoming . After four years, he received permission to become achaplain , and joined theUnited States Navy . He was appointed Acting Chaplain with rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade (LTJG) onJune 28 ,1939 .Assigned to the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor
On
December 7 ,1941 , Fr. Schmitt was serving on board thebattleship , USS "Oklahoma" when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. A Japanese hit caused the ship tocapsize . A number ofsailors , including Fr. Schmitt, were trapped in a compartment with only a smallporthole as the means of escape. Fr. Schmitt helped a number of men through this porthole. When it came his time to leave, he declined and helped more men to escape. In total, he helped 12 men to escape.Fr. Schmitt died on board the "Oklahoma". He was the first chaplain of any faith to have died in
World War II .Posthumous honors
He was honored posthumously by the U.S. government when it awarded him the
Navy and Marine Corps Medal . Adestroyer escort named USS "Schmitt" was commissioned in 1943 by the Navy in his honor, and served the U.S. Navy until 1967 when it was transferred to Taiwan. The Christ the King Chapel at Loras College was dedicated in his memory, and contains some of Fr. Schmitt's property that was donated to the school.ee also
*Roman Catholic priests
*Chaplain
*United States Navy
*USS "Oklahoma"
*USS "Schmitt"
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