United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

Page 81 text:

Mass is said by Chaplain Joseph Fitzgerald. .... A i Shoes. In deference to Korean custom, marines attending worship at Poon-suwon Church leave their dusty field shoes at the entrance, alongside the sandals worn by Korean worshippers. In Masan, Korea, 1951, there was a most unusual Easter Day. Seven Korean Protestant congregations had commit- ted themselves and their choirs to worship with us in a beautiful mountain spot overlooking the local harbor. Their combined choirs had rehearsed frequently. The Marines erected a huge cross constructed from the native pine trees. The service was anticipated with a great deal of interest. On Easter morning a steady downpour of rain ruled out any thought of an outdoor service. Many Marines assumed the chaplain would cancel the service. However, we had an emergency plan-to set up indoor services in our Motor Transport area. Fifty Marines braved the elements to at- tend the indoor service. Most of us began to feel, like many who had stayed in their sleeping bags, that the Koreans would not come because of the storm. A few minutes before the service time our trucks arrived in camp with almost 100 Koreans, dressed in their finest, soaked to the skin because they had no protection from the rain. They sang the great hymns of Christendom while they approached our area. Never before in so dismal a situation had I celebrated a more triumphant Day of Resurrection. Korean Christians Contacts with Korean Christians became a normal part of the experience of all the chaplains serving there. On many occasions Koreans attended Divine Services conducted by the chaplains. Joseph D. Mc- Donald described one such experience. While offering Mass in a valley, about 75 Korean civilians were in attendance. Where they came from was doubtful. The area was under attack not infrequently. Their mani- festation of faith and gratitude was indeed a source of edifi- cation even to the troops. The chaplain was called to baptize a 2-year-old infant. No missionary had been in that area for over 2 years. Often chaplains were able to conduct services for the Koreans. Chaplain Thomas B. Uber II reported holding weekly services for H120 South Koreans at- tached to a labor battalion assigned to my unit, speaking through an interpreter. At the request of the United Nations Command, the Republic of Ko- rea had organized a Civil Transport Corps, largely members of the ROK National Guard who lacked suflicient training for military service. Willing na- tive laborers were plentiful, for they received not only food and clothing but also pay. Formed into com- panies, they were especially useful during the spring of 1951, working their way forward on foot, carrying tremendous loads on the traditional A-frame sup- ported on their backs, these native laborers furnished logistical support for the northward drive when mili- tary vehicles were often bogged to the hubs in heavy mud. When Chaplain Joseph C. Fitzgerald heard con- fessions, said Mass and gave Communion to a con- gregation of about 100 Koreans and 4-0 Marine artil- lerymen in the bullet-pocked church in Poon-suwon, those Koreans had the ministry of their church for the first time since invading Communists had mur- dered their native priest the summer before. As re- ported by combat correspondent Sergeant Ted Sell, USMCR, there were among the women with their immaculately white linen headpieces only Five men, four grandfathers and one cripple, the rest were off fighting. During the service American bombers droned overhead 5 outside a bulldozer pulled oil' the road to allow an ambulance to pass on its way to the rear. Once more a chaplain of the Navy had ful- filled his duty as a servant of man and God, scenes

Page 80 text:

trate the second point which I was to make-that faith is also common sense. One should not ask God to do what you can do for yourself. In this case it was divine expedi- ency to duckll rather than to depend completely upon God to influence the sniper to miss his aim in your direction. This unusual incident has always been a lesson to me illus- trating the fact that God expects us to do as much as we can for ourselves, including the protection and safeguarding of men, women, and children from aggression and attack. Chaplain Garson Goodman was the Jewish chap- lain with the 1st Marine Division from 6 July 1950 to 22 May 1951. While his peculiar responsibility was a ministry to men of the Jewish faith in the Division, he found many opportunities to serve men of other faiths and to assist in the work for civilian refugees and orphans. Commenting on his work, Chaplain Goodman wrote: Not only did I carry out my duties as the only Jewish Chaplain for the entire Division, but I also served men of all faiths in my battalion. On one occasion while assigned to the medical battalion, I went without sleep for a 48-hour period serving the wounded and assisting the corpsmen as necessary. While attached to the Ordnance Battalion, I saw to it that a chapel was built for the specific purpose of worship. I set up a smoothly running library, and for the first time all the men were well supplied with writing paper, pens, and all toilet articles which I had procured from stateside organizations and other sources. In addition to being the chaplain, I was the special services officer and li- brarian. The greatest satisfaction derived was that the men found a true friend in their chaplain under all circumstances. Easter 1951 Nor were other Navy chaplains any less busy. Easter Day was on 25 March in 1951, and was every- where celebrated with appropriate religious observ- ances. Chaplain E. R. Barnes reported a Sunrise Service on the fiight deck of the PHILIPPINE SEA for not only his ship's personnel but all forces afloat in Yokosuka harbor. Chaplain Arthur Wartes, on board the repair ship JASON since October 1950, also reported a sunrise service on the top deck. Doubtless there were many others. The following account by Chaplain Charles H. Swift, Jr., was sent in as part of his questionnaire reply. On Easter Day, 1951, services were conducted at Naval Air Facility, Oppama, outdoors, as the chapel space was too small. An LST which had been converted to an ARVE faircraft repair ship fenginelJ, the USS AVENTINUS, was moored bow first at the seaplane ramp. With the bow doors open and the ramp down, this formed a setting for the altar. The ship's company had made a large white cross which hung in the opening against a background of blue curtains. Greene-ry and flowers decorated the opening and formed a frame around it. The altar and pulpit were set up on the ramp. This beautiful setting, with the sun coming up in the East, recalled to mind that beautiful song, Let Us Break Bread Together on Our Knees' Oppama is fairly close to the great port city of Yoko- suka. The Naval Air Facility was mainly concerned with the maintenance and repair of carriers and air- craft. Chaplain James D. Hester, aboard the THOMAS JEFFERSON, a transport operating under MSTS, Pacific, out of San Francisco, from January to July 1951, wrote in his questionnaire of Easter celebrations as the ship carried personnel replacements toward the Far East. The chaplain had made provision before leaving stateside to provide as fully as possible for all the familiar decorations. These were used in both the Protestant and Catholic serv- ices. This particular group of replacements was landed at Pusan, airlifted to the perimeter of the forward battle line, and three days after leaving the ship committed to battle. On the next trip out it was learned that this group had suf- fered heavy casualties-about thirty per cent. It was com- forting to the chaplain to remember that only 10 days previ- ously they had knelt on the deck at the Communion Table and received the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. In the lst Marine Division, as far as operations al- lowed, special services were planned for Holy Week and Easter. During Holy Week weather had been pleasant but it rained all day on Easter. Travel was difficult as the chaplains rode the circuitil of their several separated units. Chaplain G. Bingaman, stationed with the Amphibious Tractor Battalion, held a service which he later described in the following fashion. Easter-1951. Chaplain R. E. Jenkins holds an Easter sunrise service for the 5th Marines.

Page 82 text:

vary and circumstances change, but the Word of God standeth ever sure. Special Services Chaplains have long been concerned with morale activities as well as their more distinctively religious ministry. Indeed, on occasion some commands have seemed to treat their Chaplain Section as a glorified recreation department. Sometimes individual chap- lains have gone along with such an interpretation of their duties 5 under some circumstances chaplains have become involved in serious difficulties because of dis- agreements with their commands over the extent and character of their collateral duties. Since moral char- acter, spiritual vitality, and high morale are likely to be intimately related, written directives are not usually sufficient to define precisely the chaplain's duties within the command responsibility for the total wel- fare of its personnel. Cooperation with Navy Relief and American Red Cross activities, the administration of libraries, the or- ganization and execution of athletic and recreational programs-these and many more collateral duties have fallen to the lot of chaplains. In general those serving with Marines have had fewer such assignments than those serving other naval activities, especially, of course, in ships. A Marine Division has a Special Services Section, operated on every echelon from divi- sion throughout battalion, its duties, like those of the Chaplain Section, are spelled out by ofiicial regula- tions but their implementation naturally varies with circumstances. On 31 March Division Chaplain Kelly wrote to the Chief: I had quite a discussion with our Division special services officer, Lieutenant Colonel Batham, about where there might be confusion or overlapping of our lrespective duties.j I had in mind particularly the recommendation of your meeting of District and Force Chaplains concerning collateral duties. We both are of the opinion that most commanding offiicers have no idea of the large scope of special services. They be- lieve that a special services officer merely arranges ball games, shows and movies. So we decided to draw up a resume of special services duties and chaplain duties, lthenj visit the various command- ing ofiicers and discuss the entire problem. lWe hopedj to give the CO's a clearer view of the importance of special services with the hope that better fitted officers be assigned to that post, who will not have to depend on the chaplain. When asked if the special services officer could be a chap- lain, I agreed with qualifications. And they were, that I would first discuss the situation with the individual chaplains in the smaller units and if they feel that they could first do a 100 percent job as a chaplain land thenl have reasonable time to devote to special services, it would be agreeable. However, with the larger units, such as regiments, I felt that being a chaplain was a full time job. So when we have threshed this out completely, armed with the Special Services Manual, Chaplainls Manual, Marine Corps Manual, and the recommendations of your conference, we will approach the Chief of Staff. If he agrees, we will approach the unit CO's. The two of us appearing together will remove any thought of conflict between departments, or that I am trying to get the chaplains out of something rea- sonably in their department. Colonel Batham is whole- heartedly in favor of this solution and feels that it will beneht his department. Relief Work One of the notable aspects of the work of Navy chaplains in Korea during and especially after hos- tilities was the extensive relief work carried on under their direction for thousands of Korean refugees. Reference was made in his answer to the question- naire by Chaplain Lawrence R. Phillips, a Protestant, to what was doubtless the first work of Marines with Korean orphans. He wrote: Upon entry of Inchon I found the Catholic church with some 40 orphans. Through cooperation with Marine author- ities food, medicine, and clothes were gathered for the im- mediate relief of the situation. Soon such charitable endeavor became a normal part of the work of chaplains and Marines. Chaplain Schwyhart wrote to Chief of Chaplains S. W. Salisbury on 16 February 1951: A great portion of this week has been devoted to the dis- tribution of 800 boxes of Marine Corps League gifts of cloth- ing, shoes, and toys given by the children of American Marines to the children of Korea. In cooperation with the civil affairs ofiicer, we made distribution in 5 cities and vil- lages to an estimated 15,000 children. It was an experience I shall not soon forget. In his reply to the questionnaire Schwyhart enlarged on that particular effort. He wrote: During the first week in February 1951, at which time the 1st Marine Division was in the area of Pohang-dong on the east coast of central Korea, a large shipment of clothing, shoes, and toys arrived by LST from Pusan. This shipment, totaling about 800 boxes, had been collected in east coast cities of the United States by the Marine Corps League and shipped to the lst Marine Division for distribution to children in Korea. The commanding general of the lst Marine Di- vision appointed me to organize the distribution. A staff of several ofiicers and many enlisted Marines aided in the dis- tribution at three local points in the area of Pohang-dong. It was estimated that approximately 25,000 children received some item of clothing, shoes, or a toy on the date of distribu- tion, which was 12 February 1951. The mayor of the city of Pohang-dong and all school principals aided in organizing the civilian community in the distribution of clothing. If the number of distribution centers had been reduced from 5 to 3, the estimated number of children had L54-