Chaplain's Medal for Heroism

Chaplain's Medal for Heroism
Awarded by United States
Type	Single-grade breast medal and ribbon
Awarded for	Heroism by a military chaplain
Status	Commemorative decoration
Statistics
Established	January 18, 1961
First awarded	January 18, 1961
Total awarded	4

The Chaplain's Medal for Heroism is a decoration of the United States Congress which was authorized by an act of Congress on July 14, 1960^[1]. Also known as the Chaplain's Medal of Honor and the Four Chaplains' Medal, the decoration commemorates the actions of the Four Chaplains who gave their lives in the line of duty on February 3, 1943. The medal was designed by Thomas Hudson Jones (1892–1969) of the United States Army Institute of Heraldry. It was presented posthumously to their next of kin by Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker at Ft. Myer, Virginia on January 18, 1961.^[2]

Because the medal was authorized by Congress (rather than the military), has only been authorized posthumously, and only for one action, it is generally considered a commemorative decoration not intended for wear on a military uniform. The medal also does not appear on any military award precedence charts, although it is considered to be ranking just below the Medal of Honor. Its precedence with regard to the Congressional Gold Medal and Congressional Silver Medal is similarly unspecified, although the facts that only four awards have been made and it is a decoration for valor would mitigate in favor of its precedence over the Congessional Gold Medal. The Chaplain's Medal for Heroism could technically be awarded again, if Congress ever bestowed the decoration for future acts of heroism involving military chaplains.

The Four Chaplains

Main article: Four Chaplains

The four chaplains were lieutenants in the United States Army: Rev. George L. Fox (Methodist), Rabbi Alexander D. Goode (Jewish), Rev. Clark V. Poling (Reformed Church in America) and Fr. John P. Washington (Roman Catholic). In late 1942, the chaplains were transferred to Camp Myles Standish in Taunton, Massachusetts and attended Chaplains School at Harvard University. 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 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.^[3]

As to official military decorations, each of the four chaplains was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart^[4].

See also

• Awards and decorations of the United States government
• Awards and decorations of the United States military
• United States Air Force Chaplain Corps
• United States Army Chaplain Corps
• United States Navy Chaplain Corps
• Chaplain of the Coast Guard
• Military chaplain

References

1. ^ http://www.cq.com/graphics/sal/86/sal86-656.pdf
2. ^ "Federal Military Medals and Decorations". Foxfall Medals. http://www.foxfall.com/fmc-fcm.htm. 
3. ^ "The Saga of the Four Chaplains". The Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation. http://www.fourchaplains.org/story.html. Retrieved 2008-02-05. 
4. ^ http://www.fourchaplains.org/ServiceGuide.pdf