John P. Washington

Infobox Military Person
name= John P. Washington
born= birth date|1908|7|18
died= death date and age|1943|2|3|1908|7|18
placeofbirth= Newark, New Jersey
placeofdeath= USAT "Dorchester", Atlantic Ocean
placeofburial=


caption=
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|USA United States of America
serviceyears= 1942 to 1943
rank= Chaplain lieutenant
branch= flagicon|USA United States Army
commands=
unit=
battles= World War II
awards=Chaplain's Medal for Heroism·Distinguished Service Cross·Purple Heart
laterwork=

John P. Washington (18 July, 1908 - 3 February, 1943) was a Roman Catholic priest and a lieutenant in the United States Army. He was one of the Four Chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers during the sinking of the USAT "Dorchester" during World War II.

Life

Born as one of seven children to Irish immigrants Frank and Mary Washington, John was a religious boy from a young age, rapidly becoming an altar boy at his local church in Newark, New Jersey, where he grew up. A talented sportsman and intelligent and hard-working child, he performed well at school and was accepted into Seton Hall Preparatory School, then located in South Orange, New Jersey, where he completed high school and took courses designed to prepare him for the priesthood. Following his graduation he moved to the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology and took minor orders in 1933, being ordained a priest in 1935.

He served at several New Jersey parishes over the next six years, before joining the Army upon hearing of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. After brief periods in Indiana and Maryland, Washington was dispatched to Harvard University where he took a course preparing him for deployment for Europe and became acquainted with the others of the Four chaplains for the first time. In January 1943 he joined them on board the "Dorchester" for the trip to Europe via Greenland, and set off on the fatal journey.

Death

In late 1942, Washington was transferred to Camp Myles Standish in Taunton, Massachusetts and attended Chaplains School at Harvard University. There he met fellow chaplains George L. Fox, Alexander D. Goode and Clark V. Poling. In January 1943, the chaplains embarked on board the USAT "Dorchester", which was transporting over 900 soldiers to the United Kingdom via Greenland.

On February 2, 1943 the German submarine U-223 spotted the convoy on the move and closed with the ships, firing a torpedo which struck the "Dorchester" shortly after midnight. Hundreds of men packed the decks of the rapidly sinking ship and scrambled for the lifeboats. Several of the lifeboats had been damaged and the four chaplains began to organize frightened soldiers. They distributed life jackets from a locker; when the supply of life jackets ran out, each of the chaplains gave theirs to other soldiers. When the last lifeboats were away, the chaplains prayed with those unable to escape the sinking ship. 27 minutes after the torpedo struck, the "Dorchester" disappeared below the waves with 672 men still aboard. The last anyone saw of the four chaplains, they were standing on the deck, arms linked and praying together.cite web |url=http://www.fourchaplains.org/story.html |title=The Saga of the Four Chaplains |accessdate=2008-02-05 |publisher=The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation]

Remembrance

The four chaplains were all awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart and received national acclaim for their courage and self-sacrifice. A chapel in their honor was dedicated on February 3, 1951 by President Harry S. Truman at Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia. In 1961 the Chaplain's Medal for Heroism was commissioned specifically for these four officers.

References

Persondata
NAME=Washington, John P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= US army chaplain killed in action
DATE OF BIRTH=18 July, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH=Newark, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH=3 February, 1943
PLACE OF DEATH=USAT "Dorchester", Atlantic Ocean