United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

Page 40 text:

I-...-..' .. at ,ff gf' Services at the Governor's Palace, Chaplain L. R. Phillips conducts services for Protestants on the steps of the governor's palace scarred and blackened by shell fire. Catholic services are conducted by Chaplain Hickey for marines who participated in the capture of Seoul. Services are held on the palace steps. awarded Chaplain Tennant. The citation accom- His advice to the Commanding General in religious panying the medal given to Chaplain Schwyhart and morale activities of the command was of im- notes that he had traveled with front line units on measurable assistance to the success of the Divisionf' numerous occasions while they were subjected to the citation concludes. enemy Hre and that he had administered solace and The citations for Chaplains Jones Clst Marinesj spiritual comfort to wounded and dying Marines. and Craven f7th Marinesj were identical. Both were

Page 39 text:

arated units prior to the Han River crossing. Once he held a service below an embankment while enemy bullets whistled through the trees overhead. Chaplain john H. Craven, a Southern Baptist, baptized three men by immersion in evaporator tanks of the troop transport the day before they landed at Inchon on 21 September. Following debarkation five more men were baptized in collapsible rubber water tanks used by the Combat Engineers in Inchon. Craven was Regimental Chaplain of the 7th Marines, newly organized in Japan and composed of officers and men from the former 6th Marines, 2d Marine Division, including its 3d Battalion, which had been in the Mediterranean at the outbreak of the war, and others drawn from posts and stations in the United States, plus nearly 2,000 recalled Reserves deemed combat-ready? Chaplain Barker C. Howland in his questionnaire contributed the following story: Baptizing a man could be a problem if done strictly accord- ing to the tenets of my denomination. One baptism, in par- ticular, I remember which was held right outside of Inchon after the successful conquest of Seoul. The man had gone to a Church of Christ church in Texas. The medical officer attached to our regiment recommended that I not baptize the man down by the shore because he felt the water was polluted. Several of the men in the regiment came through in the pinch and constructed for me a tank made out of gal- vanized iron which they had scrounged. Water was heated lfor it was in October and there in that tank I baptized this lMarine. ' fThe word scrounge had become a common word in the vocabulary of U.S. troops during World War II. No onus was attached to scrounging. It meant simply getting by other than official means something that was needed.j 7Chaplain Joseph G. Power wrote in his question- naire reply: On the morning of 15 September 1950, while the preliminary bombardment of the Inchon coastal defenses was in progress, I served Communion to almost an entire Marine infantry company, and baptized 16 men. Chaplain Craven reported that it was his custom to oFfer Communion at almost every service. Many of the Protestant chaplains carried individual communion sets so that the Sacrament could be administered to small groups or even to but one man. The Chaplains Division would later develop a combat communion kit, but this was not made generally available to the chaplains in Korea until after the cease-fire order of July 1953. On 1 October 1950 all Protestant chaplains con- nected with the lst Marine Division observed World Wide Communion Sunday. Among the services held was one at the Division Hospital at Inchon where 8 Montross and Canzona, op. vit., vol. II, p. 33. Chaplain William A. Rennie was assisted by a choir from a local Korean Methodist Church. At Seoul Chaplain Robert M. Schwyhart preached in the Chodong Presbyterian Church at the invitation of the pastor, the Reverend David Chung. This con- gregation met amidst thc ruins of its former church. Meetings of chaplain and service personnel with Korean Christians were an inspiration for all, and often gave to the Americans convincing evidence of the results of missionary work. As in World War II, chaplains ministering to Marines under combat conditions adapted themselves to existing circumstances and held Divine Services under diverse and often adverse circumstances. Chaplain Craven in his reply to the Chaplains Divi- sion questionnaire summed up the experience of all of his fellow chaplains who saw service in Korea when he wrote: ' Conducted Divine Services under all sorts of conditions: in Korean houses, drug stores, nail factory, city hall, enclosed courtyards, barns, warehouse, railroad stations, theatre building, school building of a Benedictine Monastery, creek beds, rock quarries, shell holes, tents, reverse slopes and open country. The altar was rigged on ox carts, jeep hoods, am- munition crates, metal spools for communication wire and stretchers. I also set up the portable altar set on Korean porches, tables and desks. Many times, of course, services were conducted without setting up the portable altar set. A most unusual setting for Christian worship was provided on 28 September when both Protestant and Roman Catholic services were held in front of the Presidential Palace in the city of Seoul. Chaplain Bernard L. Hickey celebrated Mass and Chaplain Lawrence R. Phillips led a Protestant service, both for the 5th Marines. On the same day, near the city of Seoul, Chaplain Garson Goodman conducted a Jewish service. On the following day, 29 Septem- ber, General MacArthur, President Syngman Rhee, and other high ranking dignitaries met in a solemn ceremony within the capitol building in recognition of the liberation of the city. Heroic Service For heroic or meritorious achievement during the Inchon-Seoul operation, the following eight Navy chaplains were awarded the Bronze Star medal: Division Chaplain Robert M. Schwyhart, Regimental Chaplains Glyn Jones, John H. Craven, and Orlando Ingvoldstad, and Chaplains William G. Tennant, Patrick A. Killeen, Godfrey Reilly, and John H. Markley. Mention has already been made of the citation -21..

Page 41 text:

for the period 23 September to 1 October. The cita- tions read in part: Acting as regimental chaplain fhej fearlessly and cou- rageously exposed himself to the intense enemy small arms, machine gun and mortar fire to visit and encourage the members of the front line units during the attack. His com- plete disregard for his own personal safety and personal interests shown during his constant moving among the assault troops and the wounded was an inspiration to all personnel of the regiment. Since Chaplain Craven had received a Bronze Star during World War II, he was awarded a gold star in lieu of a second Bronze Star. Chaplain Ingvoldstad f5th Marinesj was cited for heroic service performed during the period 15-27 September. Displaying outstanding professional ability, the citation states, umarked courage and con- fidence in the performance of duty, Lieutenant Com- mander Ingvoldstad rendered distinguished service in providing for the spiritual comfort and well-being of all the men. Chaplain John H. Markley, serving with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, was cited for meritorious achievement in connection with the operations against the enemy . . . during operations in Japan and Korea from 11 August 1950 to 12 October 1950. The citation continues: He met aircraft carrying the wounded and dying no matter what hour of arrival. He visited all hospitalized mili- tary personnel regardless of their branch of service. He ministered to their physical as well as spiritual needs, per- sonally seeing that the men had what they sought for or needed. He carried out his duties regardless of personal fatigue, constantly inspiring all who observed him with the strength of his faith in God, his humility, and his love for all to whom he ministered. Chaplain Patrick A. Killeen was awarded the Bronze Star for service from 15-21 September 1950. His citation reads in part: A most capable and inspiring religious guide, his wise and friendly counsel was constantly sought by men of all faiths within the battalion. His untiring efforts and unswerving devotion to duty were an inspiration to all who observed him, and aided materially in the maintenance of high mo- rale within the battalion. The citation accompanying the Bronze Star awarded Chaplain Godfrey Reilly follows in part: Serving with the forward medical company, where casual- ties were in greatest number, he frequently moved to battalion aid stations when he considered his services to be needed. Displaying at all times utter disregard for his personal safety and comfort, he labored long, arduous hours under extremely adverse weather conditions, and often under enemy fire. His untiring efforts contributed materially to the maintenance of high morale in the Division, and his wise counsel and guid- ance were constantly sought by men of all faiths. In addition to the Silver Star awarded Chaplain Bonner and the eight Bronze Star medals thus far mentioned, two other awards were given Navy chap- lains for outstanding performance of duty. Chaplain Kevin J. Keaney received the Letter of Commendation award citing his service during the period 15 Septem- ber to 2 October 1950. Chaplain Bernard L. Hickey, who with lngvoldstad, Tennant, and Sporrer had accompanied Marine ground units from the early days of the Korean War, received the Bronze Star for meritorious service from 15 September to 2 November, the terminal date of what the Defense Department later marked out as the First Korean Campaign. The services cited in Hickey's award now begin to nm like a refrain through the commendations that would be awarded chaplains for devotion to duty during periods of intense fighting. No lesson is clearer from the experience of the Korean War than that it came to be expected that it could be said of each what was here said of a particular chap- lain, that he 'icontinuously moved among the assault units of his regiment and conducted services, adminis- tered spiritual comfort to the sick and wounded, and assisted in the treatment and evacuation of casualties. Thus exceptional performance of duty sets the pace and in time becomes the norm by which all service is measured. Chaplains Afloat Elements of Joint Task Force Seven, the principal striking arm of United States naval power in the Far East, commanded by Vice Adm. Arthur D. Struble, had been on station in Korean waters since late June. Serving as chaplain in the flagship, the ROCHES- TER, was Fenelon D. Hewitt, Jr., Southern Baptist, aboard since April 1949. In September he was re- lieved by Edwin F. Carr, a Roman Catholic. Having returned to active duty on 18 August, Carr remained in the ROCHESTER until July 1952. Protestant ministrations were made available whenever possible, it has been noted that Chaplain J. E. Zoller was temporarily aboard for the month of October. In the TOLEDO since 31 August was Chaplain Lawrence C. M. Vosseler, a Lutheran, whose tour of duty continued until July 1952. Aboard the WORCESTER since September was Chaplain Charles L. Dickey QPresbyterianJ, a Reserve, who remained in that ship until released to inactive duty in January 1952. Chaplain David Kosky, 123-