United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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aboard the SICILY. At 0900 the chaplains would be exchanged by the BADOENG STRAIT,s helicopter, so that' at 0915 there would be Mass in that ship and Protestant service in the SICILY. Afterward each chaplain transferred by highline to one of the ships of the destroyer screen for a third service, returning to his home ship by highline again. Thus both Prot- estant and Roman Catholic worship was held in each of the two carriers every Sunday, and in each de- stroyer once a month. Seventh Fleet The two senior naval commands in the Far East were 7th Fleet and Commander Naval Forces, Far East. Seventh Fleet, commanded by Vice Adm. Arthur D. Strubble, though dispersed in the Philippines and at Hong Kong, was within fast cruising range of Korea. Its main force, Carrier Division 3, consisting of the VALLEY FORGE and embarked Air Group Five, the cruiser ROCHESTER, and eight destroyers, under Rear Adm. J. M. Hoskins, was fortunately in a state of readiness, e.ven though the ships' peacetime mission had been largely showing the flag around the Orientfo Vice Adm. C. Turner Joy, Commander Naval Forces, Far East, had his headquarters in Tokyo. In the interval between World War II and the Korean War the chief mission of ComNavFE had been assist- ing the recovery of Japan. Besides supervision of the naval stations at Yokosuka and Sasebo, and helping to rebuild the Japanese merchant fleet, ComNavFE utilized a support force Q Cruiser Division 51 consisting of the cruiser JUNEAU, four destroyers, and six mine- sweepers, under Rear Adm. J, M. Higgins, in clearing Japanese waters of leftover mines, Chinese pirates, and Japanese and Korean smugglers. U.S. naval forces, with 7th Fleet under operational control of ComNavFE, were made available to Gen- eral MacArthur, Commander in Chief, Far East, on 26 June. The Hrst surface action occurred on 2 July, when the JUNEAU destroyed several North Korean motor torpedo boats encountered north of Kangnung on the east coast. But the enemy had, of course, next to no naval power, the missions of United Nations naval forces were chiefly ship-to-shore bombardment and the launching of bombing strikes against the air- fields and rail facilities of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and, later, the Wonsan oil refinery. From midnight of 24 July, when elements of 7th Fleet weighed anchor for the east coast of Korea, naval close air support began to be furnished the ground 10 Cagle and Manson, op. sit., ch. 2, esp. pp. 30-47. forces of Sth Armyfl Coordinated through 5th Air Force, the squadrons of VALLEY FORGE and, after 1 August, PHILIPPINE SEA lent their support to the beleaguered defenders of the Pusan Perimeter. The arrival of the cruisers HELENA and TOLEDO in late July strengthened the blockade effort, and in early September this would be further strengthened by the organization of Task Force 95, the United Nations Blockading and Escort Force, composed of ships of 10 nations? The final naval contribution to the Pusan Perimeter duel was the rescue during the night of 16 August of the ROK 3d Division, which had ably held fast to allow inland units to withdraw but was now itself in danger of isolation and being cut to pieces. Sup- ported by the HELENA and destroyer escorts, 4 LSTS removed 5,830 military personnel, 1,260 civilian refugees, and 100 military vehicles from the beach near Yonghae.13 ComNauFE As the Navy girded itself for a war it had not been led to expect, Admiral Joy's command expanded to furnish the United Nations Command the strongest possible naval striking power. Japan-based naval activities expanded to provide service and sup-port of every sort for the ships and aircraft of 7th Fleet, the amphibious force, and the elements of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, operating in the war theater. The main center at first was Commander, Fleet Activities, Yokosuka CNavy i'l:3923j. Two chaplains were aboard, Thomas V. Edwards, Roman Catholic, and Henry Beukema, Reformed. On the Fourth of July Beukema wrote to Chaplain Salisbury: We are now in Condition II. We see huge convoys of tanks and trucks. Ships are being feverishly loaded with war supplies. Today, normally a holiday, is become a work day. We anticipate the arrival of approximately one thousand officers and enlisted men to man the destroyer escorts recently returned by Russia .... All available ships in the area have sailed for Korea .... What the picture will be within the next thirty days is difficult to state. We hope that once the North Koreans are pushed behind the 38th Parallel normalcy will ensue .... On ll July Beukema wrote concerning Fleet Ac- tivities, Sasebo: The normal complement is seventy enlisted men and live officers. How many men will be eventually assigned to Sasebo is not known, no doubt the base will serve our Korean task forces. Consideration should be given the placement of a chaplain at that activity, if only temporarily. '1 rbid., pp. 47-61. 12 rbid., pp. 288-298. 13 reid., pp. asf. -103

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we stop long enough. Had around 300 this morn- ing at 0700. Chaplain Otto E. Sporrer was awarded the Army Bronze Star with Combat MVN for heroism in the Pu- san Perimeter campaign. The citation reads as follows: As a member of the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines, lst Pro- visional Marine Brigade for heroic achievement on 7 August 1950 at Chindongni, Korea. On 7 August 1950 Lieutenant Commander Sporrer was in the vicinity of an artillery bat- tery position which was undergoing heavy enemy counter- battery fire. The enemy scored a direct hit on a gun posi- tion causing many casualties. Without regard for his own personal safety, Lieutenant Commander Sporrer voluntarily exposed himself to the heavy fire in order to assist the wounded. Heedless of the heavy fire, he administered effec- tive first aid and assisted in evacuating the wounded to a place of safety. The heroism displayed by Lieutenant Com- mander Sporrer on this occasion reflects great credit on him- self and the naval service. Each of the other Navy chaplains who took part in the defense of the Pusan Perimeter received the Bronze Star for acts of heroism and valor in later campaigns. Chaplain Sporrer was also awarded the Army Silver Star for another act of heroism which took place on 18 August in the battle for Obong-ni Ridge. This second citation reads in part: On this date Lieutenant Commander Sporrer in his ca- pacity as Catholic Chaplain visited the forward aid station of the Fifth Marines, then in attack on enemy positions ot the ridges west of the Naktong. Learning that a number of wounded were on the ridges awaiting evacuation, Lieu- tenant Commander Sporrer organized a litter-bearing team of Korean civilians and showing a high degree of courage and skill led them through heavy small arms, automatic weapons and mortar fire. By his leadership and example Lieutenant Commander Sporrer encouraged the litter-bear- ing team to continue even after they had been pinned down by enemy fire. He then succeeded in evacuating a number of seriously wounded to the Aid Station. MAG 33 The Brigade's air support, Marine Aircraft Group 33, had arrived in Kobe, Japan, on 31 July. Since Korean land-based operations were impossible, the planes were flown to nearby Itami for maintenance and testing and returned to the carriers SICILY and BADOENG STRAIT, from which the two fighter squadrons operated during the initial months of the war? The night-fighter squadron was based in Japan. The helicopters included in Marine Aircraft Group 33 were the first such to be formed into a unit for combat service overseas? They, together 7 Ibid., pp. 89f. 8 Ibid., p. 50. See also Montross, Cavalry of the Sky fNew York, 19545, an account of the development and early use by the Marines of combat helicopter squadrons. with the observer squadron and the Air Support sec- tion, were ferried to Korea and came under direct Brigade control. With Marine Aircraft Group 33 was one chap- lain, John H. Markley, a Methodist. Subsequently, when the main body of the lst Marine Aircraft Wing arrived in September, Chaplain john P. Murphy, a Roman Catholic, came out with them from El Torro, Calif., Marine Air Station as Wing Chaplain. On 14 September he wrote from Itami, Japan, to the Chief of Chaplains that he and Markley would cover Marine Aircraft Group 33, by then partly shore-based in Korea, leaving the Wing headquarters to be cov- ered by a Protestant Air Force chaplain and two American missionary priests. It was planned that Marine Aircraft Group 12, on arrival, would be carrier-based and therefore covered by ship's chap- lains. Adding that an aircraft group numbered about 3,000 personnel, Murphy asked for a Protestant and a Roman Catholic chaplain for each group, in addition to himself as Wing Chaplain. Marine air power was early engaged in the attempt to block the enemy's advance. Before the Brigade's ground forces became operative, already on 3 August eight Corsairs of VMF-214 operating from the SICILY had made the first Marine air strike in de- fense of the Pusan Perimeter? On succeeding days, joined by VMF-323 operating from the BADOENG STRAIT, the Brigade's air arm continued to pound enemy concentrations north of Eighth Army's de- fensive lines. During Marine ground operations the three squadrons of Marine Aircraft Group 33 pro- vided outstanding close air support, vindicating the Marine Corps' doctrine of ground-air teamwork. Aboard the SICILY as chaplain was Cornelius O. Sullivan, a Roman Catholic. His counterpart in the BADOENG STRAIT, Chaplain Oswald B. Salyer, was a Methodist. Both men ministered to the Navy crews of their ships and the embarked Marine air per- sonnel as well. The first Marine pilot killed in Korea was Capt. V. M. Moses, of Jewish faith. No Jewish chaplain was available, and it fell to Salyer, a Meth- odist, to conduct a service for the captain on 13 Au- gust. F ittingly the chaplain was able to read the first part of the service in Hebrew. Writing to the Chaplains Division, Salyer described a helicopter highline routine which enabled Sullivan and himself to extend their ministry. At 0800 on Sunday, Salyer conducted Protestant service aboard the BADOENG STRAIT, Sullivan celebrating Mass Montross and Canzona, op. cit., vol. I, pp. 98f. Cagle and Manson, op. cit., pp. 61-67. ..9-

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One interesting pause in the midst of feverish war activity deserves noting. On 15 July a ceremony was held in front of the Perry Monument at Kurihama, Yokosuka, to commemorate the 98th anniversary of the landing of Commodore Matthew G. Perry in Japan. Chaplain Edwards gave the opening prayer and Chaplain Beukema a benediction. On 22 July Chaplain James E. Reaves reported as relief for Beukema, both men wrote the Chaplains Division asking that Beukema be allowed to remain for at least several months. On 28 july Reaves wrote the Chief : Yesterday I made the ward rounds at the dispensary and found it impossible to get away under 3 hours. The patient load is increasing there daily, and the senior medical officer indicated to me that they expect it to mushroom out of all proportion to its present size. As the buildup continued and casualties began pouring in in a flood, the chaplains found their energies taxed to the limit. The Chaplains Division advised that the chaplains consult their command with reference to the establishment of additional chaplain billets as it was the responsibility of the latter to initiate a request of this nature. Chaplain Beukema was detached, and Edwards and Reaves carried on. Chaplains in the Fleet Large carriers were entitled to two chaplains. Harold E. Meade had reported aboard the PHILIP- PINE SEA in July as Roman Catholic Chaplain. The same month Chaplain Charles W. Nelson, an Epis- copalian, who had been serving in the ship since January, was hospitalized and ordered stateside for treatment. Chaplain John E. Zoller, attached to Commander Service Force, Pacific, whose regular duties carried him throughout the Pacific Fleet visiting auxiliary vessels too small to rate a chaplain, was temporarily on board from 11 July to 7 September. Ernest R. Barnes reported for duty as the ship's Prot- estant chaplain on 6 September. And thereby hangs a tale. Barnes had been serving as Camp Chaplain, Marine Barracks, Camp Lejeune, N.C. He had been issued orders the middle of June to 3d Naval District where, in September, he expected to begin duty under instruc- tion at Union Theological Seminary, New York. The beginning of the Korean War, however, caused the cancellation of the postgraduate study program and Barnes was ordered instead to the PHILIPPINE SEA. Detached from Camp Lejeune on 7 August, before the arrival of his relief, Chaplain Abbot Peterson, Barnes spent the next month trying to catch up with his ship. Finally, on 9 September, he wrote the Chief of Chaplains from Sasebo, Japan, where he had man- aged to report aboard. I shared your concern about getting to the ship as rapidly as possible. By keeping in touch with the Command people I was able to avoid the mistakes which several of the local Air-Traffic Control officers were about to make in routing me, thus -arriving in Sasebo just 2 hours before the ship dropped anchor. Had I not kept in touch with the high echelons, I would have missed the ship, inasmuch as the traffic people were going to route me to Okinawa. Later on, when Chaplain Barnes was assigned in May 1951 as Wing Chaplain, lst Marine Aircraft Wing, Chaplain Zoller would again be temporarily aboard the PHILIPPINE SEA, from 15 April to 3 June. Meanwhile he had served temporarily aboard the cruiser ROCHESTER Q7 October-3 November 19501 and the oiler KASKASKIA Q3 November- 25 November 1950j while those ships were operating in Korean waters. From 8 December 1950 to 9 january 1951 Zoller was temporarily attached to the U.S. Naval Hospital at Yokosuka, japan. The short- age of chaplains and the exigencies of sudden war had made necessary many expedients, not the least useful of which was the attempt to supply as wide- spread a ministry as possible by means of such circuit-riding activities. Of one of his experiences, when assigned for a brief time to a fleet tug, Zoller wrote as follows: One Sunday, in extremely heavy seas, it seemed impractical to try to hold Divine Service. However, this was the crew's first experience of having a chaplain on board and . . . they had particularly requested Holy Communion. It was almost impossible to stand upright unassisted .... To ask the men to come forward for the Sacrament would be impossible by reason of llimitation oH space and the ship's movement. Further, the coordination of eye and muscle involved in serving by intinction seemed unattainable under the circumstances. Yet I felt that to deny them the Sacra- ment would be a grave error. The solution was to prepare strips of bread approximately one-half inch square and 2 inches long and to fill the chalice one-fourth full. At the appropriate time lafter the elements were consecratedl, the men were instructed to take a strip of bread as I passed among them, if they desired to receive Holy Communion. Following this, I passed among them again with the chalice and each man dipped one end of his bread into the cup .... He concluded: It was a bit awkward, and surely un- orthodox, but the service was solemn throughout and the men spoke later of the blessing they had received. Aboard the VALLEY FORGE were Chaplains Ab- ner R. Cook fMethodistj , who had reported in March, and Paul J. Knapp QRoman Catholic, , who reported in May. The cruisers normally carried only one ..11-