United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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IE i i Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish chaplains head the procession of pallbearers as the four caskets, containing the unidentified American servicemen, move toward the prow of the MANCHESTER. Pallbearers from the Tokyo Tri-Service Honor Guard stand at attention as final rites are performed under the 8-inch guns of the MANCHESTER. -236-

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V EPILOGUE Rcdeployment In a sense the Korean situation is still an active one. The MLR is quiet. There are few UN or American troops there. After 27 July 1954 the military con- tinued the relief program. Gradually the troops were relieved by fresh replacements. During the early part of March 1955 the redeployrnent of the 1st Marine Division to Camp Pendleton began. Gen. John E. Hull, UN Far Eastern Commander, paid tribute to the Division on the 3d saying, 'gYou have added a new chapter to the already proud history of the Corps and it is with a sense of regret that the United Nations Command and the Far East Command mark your departure from this theater of operations after four and one-half years in Koreaf, Special Emblem The preceding November a special ceremony was held in Washington by Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps, in which the first of the new emblems, authorized for the service rib- bons of naval personnel who have had combat with the Marines, was awarded. Among the Hrst three men to receive the emblem was Chaplain John H. Craven Operation Glory The ceremony held on 20 January 1956 associated with the removal of the Hrst 50 of approximately 850 bodies of unknown servicemen to their final resting place in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pa- cific in Honolulu began what was termed Operation Glory. The impressive ceremony was held alongside the MANCHESTER and honored all the unknown who had fallen on the Held of battle on Korean soil. General Lemnitzer, CinC of the Far East and UN Commands, paid tribute to the Korean dead saying, Their sacrifice has given reality, meaning and pur- pose to the guarantees inscribed in the United Nations charter that all peopleslof all nations . . . may live securely in dignity, in freedom, and in justice. Summary No adequate summary will ever be written of the work of the naval chaplains in Korea. Their contri- bution may be considered as dual in nature for they M gave unstintingly to their military personnel but also found time to heed the cry for help from a civilian population. The courage displayed on the battlefield by the chaplains as they ministered to the spiritual needs of their men will go down in history as one of the greatest epics in the existence of the Corps. Almost without exception the Marine Corps recognized this in the awards which they gave to the chaplains concerned. Their extraordinary devotion to their men and tire- less work among the wounded, their ceaseless visita- tion on the front in the face of incoming shells were noted as in the highest tradition of the naval servicev but they also came to be so universal that they were expected of every chaplain as normal procedure. The Marines had increased the number of chap- lains in a Division after World War II which was tacit recognition of the value of having chaplains with their units. Now with this display of sacrificial service the chaplains were not hampered by collateral duties. They were working day and night at their own ap- pointed tasks. Daily worship services in the bunkers, administration of communion, holding confessions, praying for and with the wounded or dying completely eclipsed lesser things. These and many more activities endeared the chaplains to the fighting men. The last- ing infiuence of these representatives of God upon the men as they make their contribution to American life may be incalculable, but it cannot help but be great. Certainly in the Chaplain Corps a standard has been set that will be hardito maintain and certainly will be extremely difficult to excel. It is only hoped that chaplains in the future, if they have to serve on the field of battle, will measure up as well as have these in Korea. Not all the battles were on the main line of re- sistance. As one chaplain puts it Many chaplains fought a desperate battle against the im- moral influences that would destroy the moral fibre of the young men who served tours of duty in the Far East. These chapters of heroic Christian effort cannot be written but the results of these battles have saved many a sailor or marine from disgrace and shame. It is expected that in a subsequent volume of the history the development of the Moral Leadership

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Program will be traced, but with troops in far away parts of the world, eternal vigilancel' is still the watchword in this program. The chaplains, who were not with their men in com- bat but had to wait until they flew back on missions, worked just as faithfully with their men but whether aboard a vessel or at an air base they were able to de- vote more time and effort to care for the needs of the refugees. This does not mean at all that the infantry did not also work in this area, for all participated. The hospital ships, the MSTS, the battleships-all answered the call for help. The whole effort in re- storing or establishing schools, hospitals, and churches was a gigantic one, and one which appears unique in the annals of history. Armies are considered in the destructive sense. Whoever heard of an army taking time to rebuild what had been torn down by the shells of their own or their enemyis guns? Since when had it been the concern of the Fighting units to care for the widows, orphans, the sick and the destitute? And yet here it happened-in a section of the world where life had been considered cheap. Suddenly a western nation had shown compassion, had cared. Back of it all was the chaplain giving leadership and guidance to these projects. A number of practical improvements came out of the conflict. Better combat altar kits, better meth- ods and techniques in implementing the Moral Lead- ership Program were among these. But in the words of Maj. Gen. Clayton C. Jerome, Commanding Gen- eral of the lst Marine Air Wing, as he spoke of the relief work of this command The men of this command have undertaken completely on their own a tremendous project worthy of our finest Christian traditions, and it should be an inspiration to the millions of Americans who have loved ones here . . . Here is democracy as it is throughout the free world. It is this great display of humanitarianism that stands out so vividly as one looks at Korea. Thus one leaves the story of the naval chaplain in Korea. A story of bravery beyond the call of duty, a story of caring for one's fellowmen but as the his- tory closes the fighting man was to remain still in Korea. On bleak austere mountains he would watch across the neutral zone, but he would not be alone. God Is With Him. -237-