Calvin News

The amazing story of four World War II military Chaplains will be told in Holland and Grand Rapids on Sunday, April 21 by accomplished television and film producer Ken Wales. The events are sponsored by the Department of Communication Arts & Sciences at Calvin College.

Wales will appear at 3 p.m. at Church of the Servant in Grand Rapids (3835 Burton SE, Grand Rapids), and at 6 p.m. at Community Reformed Church in Zeeland (10376 Felch St.). Former military chaplains from West Michigan will be in attendance. Both events are free and open to the public.

The story Wales will tell is an inspirational one. The quartet of chaplains, which included members of the Reformed, Jewish, Roman Catholic and Methodist faiths, made the ultimate sacrifice in February 1943 when their ship, the USAT Dorchester, was sunk by a German U-boat in the icy waters off Greenland.

Among them was Reformed Church in America chaplain Rev. Clark Poling, who had attended Hope College. Before the war, Poling asked his father not to pray for "my safe return, that wouldn't be fair. Just pray that I shall do my duty, never be a coward and have the strength, courage and understanding of men. Just pray that I shall be adequate."

In February 1943 Poling and his three chaplain colleagues were more than adequate, they were heroes. More than 900 American servicemen were on the Dorchester when a German torpedo struck the crowded ship and exploded in the boiler room. Chaos ensued on deck as many of the ship's lifeboats overturned or failed to employ in the icy conditions. The four Army chaplains, including Poling, George L. Fox, Alexander D. Goode and John E Washington, calmly organized the evacuation efforts onboard in hopes of saving as many men as possible. When it was clear that there were not enough accessible lifejackets, however, the four chaplains gave their own jackets to young soldiers, then held hands, prayed, and began singing a hymn together as they went down with the sinking vessel. One survivor later observed, "It was the finest thing I have seen, or hope to see, this side of heaven." Nearly 700 servicemen lost their lives with the chaplains.

Rev. Herman Keizer, Chaplain (Colonel) U.S. Army, and Director of Chaplaincy Ministries for the Christian Reformed Church in North America, says, "The four chaplains of the Dorchester are among the finest examples of selfless service in the military. Their selfless courage continually reminds both chaplains and the public of the cost of service to God and country that may demand the greatest sacrifice of all, our own lives. The four chaplains continue to be an inspiration for all chaplains who serve in combat."

Wales' new book, Sea of Glory (Broadman & Holman Publishers) retells the inspiring story of the four chaplains whose sacrificial actions on the sinking ship have been memorialized across the country. He is currently working on a major feature film based on the story of the four chaplains and the Dorchester. His previous productions have included The Tamarind Seed, Wild Rovers, Islands in the Stream with George C. Scott, and the CBS series, Christy, based on the novel by Catherine Marshall. He has acted in over 35 films and numerous television programs. He teaches periodically at his alma mater, The University of Southern California, and lives in Pacific Palisades, California.

The coauthor of Sea of Glory is David Poling, first cousin of Chaplain Clark V. Poling of the Dorchester and a columnist whose weekly features have appeared in over 600 newspapers during the last ten years.

Wales' two appearances are sponsored by the Department of Communication Arts & Sciences at Calvin College, which is expanding its programs and faculty with the addition of the DeVos Communication Center opening this summer. Wales will be speaking in communication classes at Calvin as well as participating in the Festival of Faith and Writing on a Saturday morning panel on the state of independent filmmaking in the United States.

For more information on the story of the four chaplains, including Hope College student Clark V. Poling, see the following Web sites:

The Immortal Chaplains Foundation
http://www.immortalchaplains.org/home.htm

Church Tribute to Rev. Clark V. Poling (who attended Hope College and was ordained in the Reformed Church of America)
http://pages.cthome.net/firstchurchnl/poling.htm

Rutgers University Honors Clark V. Poling in its Hall of Distinguished Alumni
http://info.rutgers.edu/University/alumni/HDA2/poling.html

Chapel of the Four Chaplains
http://www.fourchaplains.org