United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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Itami. A Marine antiaircraft artillery battalion was being established at Pusang their commanding officer had requested a chaplain's billet but it was disallowed. Barnes wrote that once the MAW had left Pusan, he would try to get Army or Air Force chaplains to cover that unit. On 12 October Chaplain Horvath was injured when a weapons carrier in which he was riding went off the road. A plane had gone down about 15 miles short of the base and Horvath was in the searching party. He suffered a broken hip and was evacuated to Yoko- suka Hospital. Barnes' last letter from the period of the 6th Korean Campaign reported further moves by the Marine air units. The Wing continues to fly heavy schedules and we continue to lose planes and pilots. The new HMR-161 boys have been making the news with their helicopter lifts up at the front' Once again it was necessary to rely on missionary priests for Roman Catholic coverage and Barnes was hard put to dis- tribute the services of his chaplains to best advantage. Helicopter Troop Lifts Barnes' reference to the HMR-l6l boys deserves comment. During the lst Division's rugged fight at the northern rim of the Punchbowl, 11-18 September, in terrain of appalling difiiculties, helicopter squad- ron HMR-l61 began ferrying in supplies and evac- uating casualties. On 21 September they completed the first troop lift in combat, a move dubbed Opera- tion Summitf' During the weeks that followed they moved company-sized units, and in October a whole battalion. These maneuvers have been hailed as opening a new phase of Marine Corps amphibious doctrine.7 The evacuation of casualties by helicopter also initiated a new technique of medical care and has been credited with saving countless lives of seri- ously wounded personnel. Track Bustingv September saw the interdiction effort of the carrier task force enter a third phases fThe first had been breaking the Yalu bridges and those of the rail net in the northeast. The second, dubbed Operation Stranglef, was the effort during the summer of 1951 to cut the highways.J Now relieved of their missions in support of the September ground advance, by mid- October the BON HOMME RICHARD, the ESSEX, and the ANTIETAM were concentrating on pinpoint 'See Lynn Montross, Cavalry of the Sky CNew York, 19541, ch. IX. 9 Cagle and Manson, 011. cit., pp. 241-260. bombing of rail lines. Though no night carrier was in service, the carriers worked round the clock, for it was soon obvious that the Communists worked at night to repair the damage. BON HOMME RICHARD From February 1951 to january 1953 the senior chaplain in BON HOMME RICHARD was Howard M. Day, a Southern Baptist. The following excerpts from his questionnaire reply present a vivid picture. The executive officer asked me if I would say grace before each meal in the wardroom. This was quite an unusual procedure at that time, though I understand it is now becom- ing commonplace. The Catholic chaplain said grace at the first sitting and I at the second, at lunch and dinner. No blessing was said at breakfast since it was served over a period of time. The reaction was universally favorable . . . and several expressed regret that it was not feasible to have a similar arrangement for the general mess. Un the general mess there are no sittings, but con- tinuous serving by means of a cafeteria line. Grace at meals has, of course, had a long, if sporadic, history in the Navy.j Chaplain Day's account continued: When operating off Korea it was not possible to use either the mess decks or the hangar deck for Sunday services. We therefore held services in the wardroom, utilizing the lounge and main section. About 400 could be accommodated by using folding chairs and having many stand. This resulted in considerable inconvenience for our officers, who had to eat breakfast in .the small after-section of the wardroom on a hot seat basis. My executive officer was somewhat dubious as to the reaction . . . to this arrangement, but there were no complaints at all. In fact several officers started attending as a result of hearing our services on the public address system while eating their breakfasts. As one jokingly expressed it, Efficiency is a good thing, but trying to feed the body and the spirit at the same time is carrying efficiency too far. I'm going to do my eating between services and start attending as I should. As on many ships, there were evening prayers just before Taps over the P.A. system. Chaplain Day alternated this duty with John A. Keeley, Roman Catholic chaplain from May 1951 to January 1952. At first we thought to have such prayers only while at sea. When we stopped the practice, upon tirst entering port, a large number of men wanted to know why we had stopped. Thereafter prayers were said both at sea and in port .... There were a great many favorable comments from both Christian and non-Christian men. Chaplain Day made use of laymen in holding two Bible classes each week, one for elementary, another for more advanced study. He thought discussion was better when laymen were in charge. It did not reduce my workload, however, he wrote, since I still had to prepare each lesson, assist the teacher in his prepa-

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an area which justifies the use of a great amount of program resources in the field of morality training. As you know, there are no established Training Aids Sections nearer than Guam. We are quitevwilling to furnish the program re- sources if you or Chaplain Mahler will indicate from where they can be circulated. From here, we are not certain where the program resources should be sent that they may be available to a large number of chaplains. I am sure I speak for the Chief when I say we want our chaplains in the forward area to receive everything they think they need. We are willing to reduce supplies for other chaplains in order to meet this top priority need. Therefore, feel perfectly free to come directly to us with your require- ments, making sure that the shipment instructions are ade- quate to insure delivery, and we will get the material to you. We can worry about going through channels when you are out of an emergency situation. In August Barnes fiew to Japan to confer with Mahler and others about the marriage of Marine per- sonnel to Japanese nationals. More than once the chaplains pointed out that their approach to problems of .morals and morale aimed to be positive, not simply prohibitory. Strenuous efforts were made to acquaint service personnel with the better aspects of Japanese and Korean culture and life, and to remind them of the values of their own. On one occasion, 3,000 pa- per bound books were received by air shipment and distributed through the Wing. Early in June Chap- lain Barnes had taken steps to secure books through the Library Services Branch, Bureau of Naval Per- sonnel. Venereal disease was of course a continuing prob- lem in units more or less permanently located. While the chaplains willingly cooperated with their com- mands and Medical Departments, their primary con- cern was never either disciplinary or therapeutic measures, but moral and spiritual health as a positive factor in a happy, wholesome life. The chaplain's ministry is first and always a concern for the well- being of total personality. Barnes subsequently wrote that an active moral guidance program was under way and indicated that the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Chaplain was in an excellent position to act as custodian and distribution source for chaplains, films. Therefore in December 1951 Chaplain Mannion, Assistant Director of the Chaplains Division, made arrangements for certain films to be forwarded to the Wing Chaplain. He wrote: As other films become available, we shall forward them directly to you for use with the Wing and the rear echelon units of the 1st Marine Divisionf, Late in April 1952, after Chaplain F. Parker, S. Baptist, had become Wing Chaplain, the Chaplains Division would send to the Wing two of the recently developed Black Magic' boards with accompanying cardboard symbols to be used in moral guidance lec- tures. This expensive visual aid equipment was in- tended to be circulated from the W'ing Chaplain's ofiice for use in individual commands. Chaplain Barnes' Diary The following notes have been taken from Chap- lain Barnes' monthly contribution to the lst Marine Aircraft Wing Historical Diaryf They are here paraphrased. 13 July 1951. Visited Dr. Appenzeller, Executive Head, Church World Service in Korea, at Pusan. Delivered to him eight cartons of refugee supplies shipped from churches in the States and Kobe, Japan. 17 July. Accompanied Wing Surgeon to visit Danish hos- pital ship JUTLANDIA and refugee childrenis hospital, Pusan. 18 July. Attended commencement exercises of Chosan Seminary, addressed them through an interpreter. Marines of Air Wing and Protestant congregation at Pusan contrib- uted S280 and scrap lumber for rebuilding. 29 July. Offering of S68 for a graduate of Chosan Sem- inary going to Japan for further study. 30 July. Address through interpreter at commencement exercises of Methodist Seminary of Seoul, now in Pusan. Needless to say, such contacts between Navy chap- lains and the leading institutions of the Korean Chris- tian community were helpful in building good rela- tions between United States military forces and K0- rean nationals. 2 September 1951. Visited Chosan Seminary with Ser- geant Powers to present donation of 600,000 won 181001, a gift from Powers' mother's church in Texas. PIO pictures and story prepared for release in San Antonio papers. 12 September. Concert by the All-Korean Pilgrim Choir, 30 trained voices, all in English. Reception at Gen- eral Schilt's quarters for distinguished missionaries and Ko- rean guests before concert. 22 September. Chapel at K-3 Pohang finished and fur- nished except for seating. Chapel chairs on order. 24-28 September. Attended Protestant Chaplains an- nual retreat at GHQ Chapel Center, Tokyo. Speakers were George Buttrick, Edmund D. Soper, and Laton Holmgren. Arranged by Army chaplains in Tokyo. Barnes' letters to the Chief from the middle of Sep- tember on indicated the lst Marine Aircraft Wing in process of moving most of its units, thus requiring new plans for chaplain coverage. Chaplain Edwin R. Weidler, Evan. 81 Ref., had reported on 21 August, relieving George W. Cummins in MAG 12, who left for home. On 17 September Chaplain Howard A. Seymour, Methodist, arrived, and was assigned at Filed in the Historical Section, G-3, Marine Corps Headquarters, Washington, D.C. -101-

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V ration, and be ready at the class to answer questions that were raised. Assigned additional duty as special services officer, the chaplain supervised the library, which was kept open at least 8 hours a day while at sea, published the daily press news and the weekly ship's paper, super- vised the athletic ofHcer's work and the hobby shop, edited the ship's cruise book, supervised the daily 4-hour broadcast of transcriptions and disc jockey programs 5 and provided live entertainment in the form of '6Happy Hours at sea and professional acts in port. Added to all this he. arranged sightseeing tours in various ports. 'fAt sea, reading was perhaps the major form of recreation. Approximately 18,000 pocket books fof considerably higher quality than found on the average newstandj were secured and distributed during the 23 months I was aboard. Day worked alone until joined by Chaplain Keeley in May. Upon reporting, Keeley wrote to the Chief: This ship is still in the process of breaking in, though the worst is over. The men have been driven hard but have maintained their spirits admirably. Church attendance has been exceptionally good for both of us and cooperation from the command had been from good to excellent. We are short on space and the workload demands more men than we have at our call, but we shall get along all right. Near the main gate of the U.S. Naval Base, Yokosuka, men on liberty from BON HOMME RICHARD passed a small, faded sign reading Mikasi Chapel. Investigation led Chaplain Keeley to the Japanese pastor, Father Hatada, and from him was learned the need of a new building. Back at sea the men began making contributions at Sunday masses, and only one month later, when the ship was again in Yokosuka, S200 was contributed to the building fund. To express their gratitude, Father Hatada and a choir of 40 Japanese children came aboard to sing in Latin the traditional chants of the Mass. ESSEX Among the missions of the carrier ESSEX was a raid, long desired by the Far East Command and finally approved, subject to careful precautions, by the Joint Chiefs of StaH', on the port of Rashin in the far northeast of Korea, 17 miles from the Soviet fron- tier and less than 110 miles from Vladivostockf' The immunity afforded Rashin by Washington's care not to violate the Russian border had allowed it to become a most important supply center for the Communist war effort. Finally in August 1951 the strike was accomplished by B-29's, escorted by jets from ESSEX. . md., pp. 245-7. Her chaplains at the time were Joseph Buzek and Paul C. Morton. Recalled to active duty in Septem- ber 1950, Chaplain Buzek reported aboard ESSEX in June 1951. His activities may be taken as typical. Arising before dawn he would administer Holy Com- munion to pilots preparing for an early morning strike. After breakfast, he checked incoming messages to see whether any of them might call for the chaplain's help in breaking news to a crewmember. Next followed the daily visit to the sick bay, and then a tour of the ship, dropping in on the men in their working compartments. Afternoons were spent in prayer and study, inter- spersed with conferences with those seeking advice and help. Daily mass was said at 1630, in a class- room. Evenings were devoted to choir practice, re- ligious instructions, and devotions. When the ship was not engaged in actual operations, Sunday services were held on the hangar deck, with a Hammond organ to aid the church atmosphere. At other times services were held in the crew's messing compartment, which made necessary several services to accommodate all who wished to attend. In December 1951 Chaplain Buzek arranged for Archbishop Maximilien de Furstenburg, Apostolic Delegate to Japanffo administer Confirmation to a group of 19 sailors whom he had prepared for that sacrament. The rite took place in the Archbishop's private chapel in Tokyo. Chaplain Morton had been in ESSEX since Jan- uary 1951. The following story, taken from his ques- tionnaire, reply, gives its own quiet but eloquent testimony. On the night of 26 September 1951, after a crash, explo- sion, and fire on the flight deck, I was in the sick bay with the injured. One young man was so badly burned he was not expected to live. He was not what one would call re- ligious. In his pain he would say, Chaplain, just stay where I can see you. Six weeks later he died, but not until he had accepted Christ. ANTIETAM Senior chaplain in the carrier ANTIETAM was Paul C. Pieri, from June 1951 until his release to in- active duty in July 1952. Pieri had been a member of an Organized Reserve unit and was recalled to ac- tive duty in August 1950, being first assigned to Ma- rine Barracks, Camp Pendleton, Calif. His cohort, Protestant Chaplain Don M. Michael, was just out of Chaplains School f class 2-511, report- ing also in June 1951. Michael served until Septem- ber, when he was transferred to the IOWA where he -103-