United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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Big Switch. Chaplain Paul C. Hammerl counsels with a returned POW at Chaplain R. N. Stretch, llth Marines, holds service for two Freedom Village' repatriated POW's at Freedom Village Chapel. Division Chaplain Francis T. O'Leary administers communion during a mass celebrated at Freedom Village for UN POW,s repatriated from North Korea on 6 September 1953 at Munsan-ni. -197- l w

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Altar Kit. Chaplain John T. Moore shoulders the new compact altar kit provided by the Chaplains Division. It is designed to make it easier for chaplains of all faiths to bring church services to marines in the field. A closeup of the contents of the kit. of their own faith and sit down with them for a friendly chat. The Catholic chaplain dons a violet stole, hears confessions, administers communion, and presents rosaries, medals, prayerbooks, and missals as desired. Chaplain Rice. says, Because we were not certain of the physical condition of the returning PWls at Freedom Village the priests of the Marine Division were ready to give the sacraments to any requesting them. The idea caught the imagination of the PW's and a great percentage wanted communion after con- fession. Having chapels at Freedom Village turned out to be a big consolation to men of all faiths. One cor- respondent said to the Catholic Far East news represent- ative: How come the priests are administering confession and communion to the PW's? After all you don't meet people with the sacraments coming back from a trip. I proposed this to one of the returning prisoners. He an- swered: I spent 3 years in prison and I examined my con- science all the time. I sure want to go to confession. I'm starting in a new life right here. Another Roman Catholic Chaplain, Paul C. Ham- merl, has these incidents to relate, . . . listen to some of them at Freedom Village. I never prayed before at home but, I prayed up there and I don't see why I should stop now. My girl tried to get me to go to church, but I couldn't see why then, but now I know better. HI didn't have many instructions in the faith, but I will learn all I can in the future, If you may think God isn't in the hearts of our young men, listen to their stories and see how they formed study clubs, how they exchanged thoughts of God as often as they could. It would do many a doubter good to see the crosse they molded out of toothpaste tubes so they Could have reminder of Christ about their person. Some had Bible they received years ago from their pastor, now worn an well used. Others on their own, bound up their Bibles t make them last and treasured them above everything else Our men came back with little in the way of material goods but if they had salvaged and saved a medal, a Bible, or rosary, they took it along to bring back home. One la carried a Bible of his buddy who died. I want to give i to his mother to show her he prayed and used it regularlyf What a consolation such will be for the brokenhearted mother. For adherents of Judaism, Chaplain Murray I. Rothman was present to take them before the Ar with its sacred scrolls of the Torah fLawj for th traditional prayers of Israel. Protestant chaplains. held services of thanksgiving and served communion to those who desired it. Chaplain William H. Vinson affirms that over one-half of the men did receive Com- munion. Chaplain Walter H. Nordby tells of some of the experiences of the men, One prisoner looked at you and in reverent tones slowly -196-

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said, Thank God I am here able to experience this moment of freedom after 32 months of living hell. Another rather thin, but sun-tanned southern soldier quietly stated, We had a couple of good fellows who held services for us whenever possiblef, One tall Texan said, They took our Testaments away and only let us have short supervised services on Christmas and Easter. A great number of the returning Americans wore lead crosses made from melted toothpaste tubes. Catholics and Protestants alike possessed them. As you looked into the eyes of these men you felt proud of them. Think of what they had endured for their country. Think of the one named Valdery who showed you a torn bit of scripture he had carried all the way. He said, The Lord has been with me through two death marches, first Bataan and now this past one. I want to thank Him now.'l . . . You can't help but remember the proud Marine who came through the gate that separated the Americans from the Commonwealth and other U.N. troops. The oflicer asked, American ? The reply was, Yes, Sir! Not this fellow, he replied, K'Marine, Sir! He was courteous and you immediately liked him-you were proud he was a 7th Marine-your outfit. . . . There were some sad moments, men on stretchers, some men with Chinese symbols like the dove of peace of Chi- nese numbers tatooed on them like medieval prisoners . . . Life would hold great moments ahead for all, even the sad. As one man said, Today it is like I have been born all over again. Chaplain Robert W. Smith tells the story of an Air Force sergeant who was shot down while making a bombing raid over North Korea. He descended by parachute into the midst of enemy troops. He resigned himself to immediate death or torture. He was overwhelmed by a longing to live. As he walked off toward prison he could hardly believe his ears for he heard North Korean children singing, Jesus loves me. This I know, for the Bible tells me so.', This one song changed his outlook and he felt if these children can sing about Jesus then surely they do have respect for life. He . . . came back to tell that story. He wasn't a church member, he seldom went to church, he had taken Christianity for granted and now he realized that America's greatness was not in her tanks, planes, or bombs but in her God, in Jesus Christ, her Freedom, everything revolved around Him, and it took that simple little Sunday School song, Jesus Loves Me to awaken him. . . . I have seen them accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour as they knelt at the altar here in Freedom Village, I have heard them tell me how Christ saved them at the prison camps, how they were Born again -a spiritual birth into God's Kingdom. I have watched tears roll down sunken, sun-tanned cheeks as we talked about our Lord. I have heard men tell me that if God calls them they will become missionaries. Chaplain Vinson states, In the early months of the war, no religious services were permitted in the camps. Some few loyal Christians began to request permission to hold services. One lay preacher, Alfonso Johnson, from Columbus, Ohio, likened his experiences to those of the Apostle Paul, as he too, was jailed for attempting to hold services. I asked where he found words of comfort and encouragement in the time of trials. He replied, I just kept reading more about Paul, finding that he met the same problems as I, and was triumphant, many years agof' In later months the prison ofiicials permitted the men to hold religious worship services in small groups under the watchful eye of an interpreter. On occasions like Christmas and Easter, large services were held with excessive photographic coverage for propaganda purposes. Most of the men desired to stop for a moment of prayer in thanksgiving to God for their freedom and His ministry to them during the long prison months. We retired to one of the small chapels, located adjacent to the waiting room, to bow in a moment of prayer. It was indeed a privilege to kneel there before the altar and pray with these men. More touching was the occasional man who desired to lead in prayer himself. These men poured out their hearts to God in joyful thanksgiving at their first opportune moment after coming back to freedom. Some stories were elicited by the question put by Chaplain Vinson, Do you have your New Testament with you?,' Many said, . . . that their Testament was taken from them along with other possessions when they were captured. Some lost them in the hospitals. Some reached down in their personal effects bag and brought out their prized possession, a well worn dog-eared Testament. Many had crude canvas backs, the result of a prison camp rebinding to try to preserve the book. On the pages of these testaments were marked the favorite passages that had brought comfort in the time of misery, hope in the time of despair, light in the time of darkness. All the men liked to tell about the place the New Testament had played in their lives. Each man was pre- sented with a fresh, new Testament to carry with him on his journey back home. Chaplain Bakker said that the men told him, You couldnit get my New Testament from me' and showed him copies well worn and somewhat frayed. After a final blessing the man next goes to the Refreshment Section. The procedure for the rest of his time at Freedom Village is described by Chap- lain Stretch, In the Refreshment Section is usually a general of the Army or the Marine Corps to greet and chat with his men. From here those who wish to be interviewed by newspaper and magazine correspondents are taken into the Press Section. Then come ditty bags of toilet articles handed out by an attractive Red Cross girl, the shedding of prison clothes and hot showers. In pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers the man proceeds into the Army Evacuation Hospital set up alongside the warehouse, for chest X-ray and thorough -198-