United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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1 1 A Spiritual Haven. As the Korean war rages with fury a short distance away, marines able to attend divine services are calmed by the words delivered by Chaplain A. M. Oliver. would be set up, using ammunition boxes, C-ration cases, or the top of a bunker. Usually the men stood, though when Communion was served some of them would kneel in ice and mud. Under such conditions baptisms would sometimes be administered. On one occasion, within a short distance of entrenched Chi- nese and North Korean positions, with friendly artil- lery beating a deafening accompaniment, Oliver baptized Marinc Pfc. M. P. Longon, using the all- purpose' helmet as a baptismal font. From a news release written by M. Sgt. P. Shee- han, Marine combat correspondent, comes the fol- lowing account of a Memorial Service held by the 5th Marines during the bleak mid-winter. As the strains of the National Anthem echoed away through the snow-covered valley, the Regimental Com- mander, Col. Frank P. Hager, introduced the lst Marine Division Commanding General, Maj. Gen. John T. Selden. He reminded the Marines that we are gathered here today to pay homage to our comrades who are no longer with us. They died with the spirit that is so well known in your unit, the 5th Marines, from Belleau Woods of World War I, to the Pacific islands of World War II, and now here in Korea. This spirit has been handed down to all those who have ever served the 5th. May God rest their souls and may you live up to the spirit for which they died. Prayers were offered by Chaplains Bashford S. Power fProtestantj, James F. Follard fRoman Catholicj, and Reuben Siegel fjewishj. The roll of the dead was read by Chaplain J. P. F. Gallagher. With the reading of the lasf name, a Marine firing squad Bred three volleys and a bugler sounded Taps. The Marines marched off the parade ground. There were tear-stained faces but they all were faces of men who shared a particular pride and a rededicated resolution. On a typical day Chaplain Henry C. Duncan would leave his battalion CP in the early morning, follow- ing the trail used by the Chigger Bearersfi as the civilian Korean laborers were called who carted sup- plies to the front lines on their backs. Accompanied by his assistant, Marine Corporal Keith Bacus, he would climb the trail straight up from a river valley some 2,300 feet to the skyline. Once on the jagged ridgeline he would go from bunker to bunker, hold- ing brief services with small groups of men, as incom- ing mortar and artillery shells crashed around. . After the service the chaplain fa former Marine line officer, with combat service at Peleliu and Okil nawaj would give the men a briefing on the news o the day, including the tactical situation-for fron line troops never know much of the big picture, but only what transpires in their own small sector. He went loaded down with stationery, corncob pipes, and other luxury', items procured from friends and vol- unteer groups stateside, and undertook commissions from the men for money orders to be sent home, radio batteries, and the precious mantles for the gasoline lanterns which provided their light. Each day's ridge-running complete, the chaplain would slip an slide down the precipitous trail to finish his duties aii the CP, ending the day by attending the staff briehngs and working into the night to write his day's report and prepare his messages for the following day. The other chaplains were similarly engaged. Chap- lain Hoar reported: I conducted five services on Ash Wednesday with an attendance of 207. Holy Com- munion was taken to the men on the frontlinesf' Chaplain William E. Brooks reported making approx- imately 650 contacts while visiting Marines in front- line .dug-in positions, and Chaplain Edmund W, Pipho spent the Hrst twelve days of March visiting men on frontline outposts and holding Divine Services there. Chaplain Fredric Forney, llth Marines, organ- ized a chapel choir, reporting that it helped increase attendance at Divine Service. Chaplain Billy N. Wolfe wrote that services were frequently interrupted by artillery fire but always completedf, As a South- ern Baptist Wolfe was accustomed to use grape juice for Communion. f'However, in the Korean winter the grape juice froze solid and I was faced with a hard decision: either deny my men the Communion serv- ice they wanted, or use wine contrary to my churchis -120-

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zion. Chaplain Peck noted in a letter to the Chief of Chaplains on 11 January 1952 that the supply picture seems to be clarified. Comment on Training It seemed to Peck that much of the training time at Camp Pendleton for chaplains ordered to Korea was not really justified. He wrote to the Chief of Chap- .ains on 29 December 1951: The type of operation the Division is presently engaged in makes the necessity of a long training period open to ques- tion. Of course the situation of a year ago could repeat itself out that is unlikely. It appears from here that the Pendleton training for chaplains without prior Marine experience would :Je sufficient with a maximum of 20 days. Further, a period Jf 7-10 days should be sufficient for chaplains with prior Marine experience. I am convinced that the medical phase of the Pendleton training is of little value .... At the present time there are Hospital Corpsmen stumbling over each other throughout the Division. That is to say, the medical people have their own program well-organized. Even if the Division should become engaged in full-scale combat, there would be no necessity for a chaplain to perform Corpsman's duties, as was the case in the early days of the Korean confiict. On 17 January 1952 he wrote again: At the risk of stepping out of the area of my responsibility, may I state that it is my conviction, based on my own obser- vations and the opinions expressed by many of the chaplains sewing here who have gone through the training at Pendle- ton, that much of the training which is designed either for medical personnel, or for enlisted and line personnel, is no longer greatly applicable to the work of chaplains in Korea at the present time .... A longer time than the 20 days he had recommended earlier might be indicated for men fresh out of Chaplains School. But I think that for more expe- rienced hands, even the 20 days could be cut in half without any serious loss of effectiveness in their ministry in Korea. The Chaplains Division was of course desirous of giving its men whatever training would render them most effective, at the same time, being short-handed, it could not afford needless delay of chaplains from actual duty. Chaplain Mannion wrote on 6 February from the Chief of Chaplains' ofiice, We appreciate your suggestion to send chaplains . . . without too much delay at Camp Pendleton and are in hearty agreement with you on this score. Composite Picture In order to obtain definite information on the re- ligious coverage within the Division, Chaplain Peck assembled data from which a statistical analysis was made, listing the actual coverage throughout the Di- vision by denominational services held, by chaplains conducting the services, and by units where services were held. One section of this report is included as appendix E to this volume. While obviously some of the information would be out of date by the time it appeared in print, inasmuch as services were fre- quently shifted because of work schedule or tactical situation, the report gives a dramatic sampling of the work actually being done at a particular time. During the period 1-15 February, Chaplain Peck's semimonthly report to the Assistant Chief of Staff, G-1, detailed the following chaplains' activities. A. Number of Sunday services conducted-134. Attendance-6,655. Number of week-day services conducted-207. Attendance-4,583. B. Adequate Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish cover- age was afforded all Medical Companies of the lst Medical Battalion. Regimental and battalion aid sta- tions were afforded continued Protestant and Catholic coverage. Cal Number of visits to hospitals and aid stations- 157. fbl Number of patients visited-952. C. In addition. to the above, the chaplains attached to the lst Marine Division, FMF, held 1,327 counselling in- terviews, wrote 157 letters with reference to personnel problems, and conducted 91 special services or Bible class sessions. Typical of other reports for similar periods, the Figures cited here indicated that a higher percentage of the lst Marine Division personnel were attending Divine Service than was probably the case in the aver- age civilian community in the States. Individual Aspects With no decisive battles being fought, the winter and early spring of 1952 were nonetheless grim enough. Taking a religious ministry to the meni of the lst Division was always difficult and often hazard- ous. Algernon M. Oliver, Regimental Chaplain, lst Marines, writing for himself and his associates, Chap- lain Melvin E. Torstrick and Martin Hoar, reported: A large number of services are necessary if all the men are to be given the opportunity to attend. In some cases services are held for units as small as a platoon, since men on the lines often cannot leave their positions to attend services as a company CP. Recently I conducted eight services in one day, on the move from early morning until late afternoon. In a short time you learn every hill in your sector and know just how long it will take you to go from one place to another. Perched high atop Korean mountains, many of the men could be reached only after an exhausting climb up icy, treacherous trails. Word that the padre was about to have Divine Service would be passed from bunker to bunker. The small portable altar --119-

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Chaplain Distributes Religious Literature. Arnold P. Spohn distributes religious literature to newly arrived Marine replacements. , ,-M.,-...M- lpractiee and custom. I served my men and asked Fodls pardon under the circumstances. l Chaplain Arnold P. Spohn, while in the 7th Ma- irines, at the front, administered Holy Communion at each service, including at least three services on Sun- iday at the Command Post and larger mortar groups, .and also approximately three to five services 4 days each week in the platoons along the line. l Chaplain Robert J. Schneck one Sunday afternoon ,nrigged for church on the hood of a jeep in a dry :stream bed. Enemy action had been relatively light land the banks appeared to afford cover. Some 20 men attended and received Communion. Schneck's own account continues: All went well until the chaplain was facing the altar for postcommunion prayers. The enemy took that opportunity to lob a few rounds of artillery into the valley. When the chaplain turned, his congregation had all but disappeared. 1The chaplain again faced the altar, and as he turned a sec- ond time to pray the benediction, his congregation had some- how returned. The benediction pronounced, the chaplain again faced the altar. As he turned the third time, to say a few parting words, he discovered his congregation already departed. With a sigh of thanks that nothing had happened, he turned to the altar preparatory to packing up. He was sur- prised to see everything secured and the chaplain's assistant already stepping on the jeep's starter. With a fine grin and an impatient wave the assistant declared, Come on, Boss, let's get out of here before the blessing wears off. God Fixed That One A young Marine, perhaps 19 years old, had been brought into A Company, lst Medical Battalion, in mild shock and losing blood from a missile wound through the main artery of the upper leg. The sur- geon, himself young, perhaps 27 or so, was faced with a difficult decision. To amputate would be relatively safe but would condemn the young man to a life of handicap. To attempt to repair the artery was a delicate operation requiring great skill, the surgeon had seen it done but had never performed it himself. It might save the leg, but the chances of success were slighter. Chaplain Schneck was standing by. He later wrote: The surgeon closed his eyes and so did the chaplain. And then the operation to repair the artery began. It was long and tedious. Two days post-op'l I happened to be in the surgical ward tent at the same time our surgeon friend was making his rounds. I was behind him when he reached the cot of our young Marine .... He began to talk to the patient and, while talking, almost hesitatingly touched the foot of the shattered leg. A smile appeared. Turning around, the surgeon saw mc. It's warm,' he said. Those two words meant that the arterial repair had been successful since blood was reaching the foot. I congratulated the surgeon with great warmth and respect. He looked at me momen- tarily and then remarked, Thanks for the prayers, padre. God Fixed that one. Chaplain Felder made a practice of following up through weekly visitations the men from his unit evacuated to rear area hospitals. He would carry greetings from the officers and men of the manls unit, and wrote letters of appreciation to those men for their service, for the signature of the battalion commander. Lay Leadership Numerous instances were reported of laymen assist- ing in the conduct of religious activities. A Marine major in his artillery battalion assisted Chaplain Forney by taking services when the chaplain was ful- filling commitments elsewhere. Felder reported that officers and men conducted their own services or held prayer groups between the chaplain's visits, often utilizing literature which he brought to them. In Marine Observation Squadron VMO-6, its leading chief, M. Sgt. C. W. Horton, USMC, conducted semi- weekly Bible classes at his unit's small air strip within sound of enemy fire. -121-