United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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8. Personal counseling. 9. Christian instruction. 10. Procurement and distribution of New Testaments, de- votional materials, and religious supplies. 11. Orientation of passenger chaplains. 12. Participation in orientation periods for voyage staff and passengers. 13. Presentations of chaplain's lectures on Citizenship and Morale' in the Troop Information and Education Pro- gram. 14. Extension of aid to advanced base chaplains through provision of supplies, extension of ship hospitality, and Christian Fellowship. Chaplain Irwin's duties in Seattle indicate what the Staff Chaplain's oH'ice was doing to aid chaplains in the ships. He supervised a supply warehouse, pro- curing, and distributing gear aboard ship. He as- sisted the Staff Chaplain in 6'unoHicial inspection of the ships, chaplains, work, in maintaining liaison with the Army Port Chaplain, and in counseling MSTS personnel and their dependents. Further, he main- tained liaison with civilian religious groups and serv- ice clubs, occasionally 'csuppliedn for chaplains, and 1400 Visitation, about decks, in recreation rooms, and liv- ing quarters. 1500 Instruction classes, personal counseling, study or ad- ministrative work. l630 Supper. 1715 Visits to sick bay and brig. 1800 Check on movies, free time for attending movies, social visitation or study. 2000 Coffee hourn and social visitation, conferences with chaplains, or free time. 2230 Personal devotions and lights out. But, he added, this is a highly theoretical day, participated in civilian religious services. A composite typical work day aboard ship might go as follows: 0730 Breakfast. 0800 Check in oflice, plan work of the day, arrange for 0945 1000 1130 1300 daily services. Brief conferences with passenger chaplains, check on newspaper. Instruction classes, personal counseling, study, prepa- ration of services or administrative work. Lunch and free period. Check on libraries, special services, movie program, newspaper, administrative work. as the program was adapted to the various needs according to the stage of the voyage. Many special occasions such as hymn sings, shows, embarkation, debarkation, or special problems made each day in the voyage a separate entity, to be dealt with as creatively as possiblef' Sundays were much the same as any other day, ex- cept for Divine Services. At that time Protestant service was held in the Troop Theater at 0900, with Mass in the lounge, at 1030 another Mass was said in the Troop Theater and a second Protestant service held in the lounge. Besides all this, the chaplain was charged with the ship's paper, library, and entertainment programs, in- cluding movies and assisting the special services pro- gram, and also assistance with the Troop Information and Education program. MSTS Pac Roster The roster submitted by Chaplain Thompson in March 1951 showed the following disposition of MSTS, Pacific chaplains. Adams, Charles W .... , . Beck, Max G. ...,. , . Bost, Warren L .... Burr, Beryl L ........ Erickson, Paul F ...... Hawkins, Elmo M. T. -Iolmes, Norman B .... . . rloward, Edwin R .... Qloyd, Paul A ........ Vletzger, Ernest W .... NIONE AT PRESENT .... . . Nlicholas, Philip ..... . . Nlorwood, Herman R. . Somers, Lester I ...... Stowater, Seattle A ..... . Ferhune, Cornelius A. Jitz, Robert H ...,,.. Nheeler, Wendell C ..... . . Watts, john E., jr. . . White, Leonard F .... Below, Ralph W ,.... PE .....,.......,. . . . GEN H. J. GAFFEY LUTH fMoSyJ ..... . . . GEN. S. B. BUCKNER PRESBY CUSAJ ...... . . . GEN. W. WEIGEL BAP CAB ................ . . . GEN. S. HEINTZELMAN METH .......,.,. CHRI SCIENCE .... CONG .........,.. RC .....,. METH ...., .... PRESBY CUSAJ. .. BAP QAJ ..,...... EVAN st REF ..... UNIT .........,. PRESBY CUSAJ. ., EVAN at REF ..... CONG .....,. ..,. PRESBY cUsAp. .. RC .,..........,. BAP isp ..,...,.. ,71- EVAN MISS CONV ..... . . . . , . GEN. . . . SGT. . . , GEN. . , . GEN. . . . GEN. . . . GEN. . . . GEN. GEN . , GEN. GENERAL R. L. HOWZE D. E. AULTMAN C. E. MOWER C. G. MORTON E. D. PATRICK D. I. SULTAN WILLIAM BLACK W. O. DARBY W. F. HASE N. M. WALKER . . SGT. HOWARD E. WOODFORD GEN. A. W. BREWSTER , . . GEN. JOHN POPE . , , AIKEN VICTORY GEN. E. T. COLLINS LT. R. O. BEAUDOIN GEN. A. E. ANDERSON

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largely run by the men themselves. It was an excellent means of religious growth. On the troopship the religious quest of the men was of a high order. Men going into combat eagerly sought a personal relation with God. Chaplain John E. Watts was accustomed to hold three Sunday morning services and a late afternoon vesper service, on deck, weather permitting. Chaplain Elliott noted, in addition to religious duties, establish- ment of classes for the study of Japanese and Korean, taught by personnel aboard familiar with those languages. Chaplain James R. Marks submitted the following account along with his questionnaire. A large number of Marines came aboard the GENERAL GREELY at a Japanese port for the trip to Korea. Shortly after the ship got underway I announced that religious serv- ices would be held in the designated compartment, three decks below the main deck. Two Protestant services were scheduled that afternoon. A Roman Catholic rosary service was scheduled for an early hour next day. All preparations were made and the word was passed that Holy Communion would be observed at 1500. Before the organist had completed his prelude, the room was filled. All chairs were occupied. Other Marines were sitting in every available spot on the deck. A few stood against the bulk- head. The majority of those present received Communion. It was nearly 1600 when the service was completed. Several minutes were required to emptysthe compartment, but during that time two Marines approached me to say there were some who came to the service but could not get into the compart- ment. I told them another service was just about to begin. I was surprised to see the compartment almost full the second IITHC. Chaplain Marks also reported many baptisms on his several trips. Always he required the candidate to come to his stateroom for an interview and instruction in order that each person would have an under- standing of its religious import. On each occasion, usually in the evening, the candidate came to the chap- lain's room accompanied by two witnesses and there accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour and Lord. In attempting to assess the ministry of all the chap- lains it must not be forgotten, however, that there are atheists in foxholes and that often piety evaporates in direct proportion as the pressure lets up. Men in uni- form are hardly different in this regard from any others. One chaplain wrote after he had returned from a tour of duty with Marines, The sacraments be- came less important in the lives of the men fback homej than had been the case fin Koreajf' And one MSTS chaplain observed: L'Going to Korea attendance at Holy Communion was very high 5 but on coming home, troops returning had again relapsed into the normal tendencies of home life. Operation Welcome Service of a different sort was inaugurated in 1951 by MSTS Chaplain Edwin W. Andrews. Noticing how shy and obviously nervous were the Japanese brides traveling in the USNS M. M. PATRICK with their servicemen husbands to life in the States, he began a series of informal lectures, suggested by the orientation program chaplains have long given troops bound overseas. He told them something of our cus- toms, government, religions, and life in our cities and on our farms, and followed with a question period Later he added education films, such as This If America, an account of small-town life, and Om Nation,s Capital, a documentary about the Federaf Government. Sometimes an interpreter was needec but one was always found. On one trip there were 31 war brides and their husbands. I like to think my lectures and movies help some of the girls adjus1 to life in the United States, the chaplain was quoted in a Navy press release. The girls enjoy it and per- haps it helps them a little. That makes it all wortk while. Annual Report The following data, from Chaplain Allen L. Irwin': annual report to the Secretary of the Navy for calendar year 1950, may illustrate the work of MSTS chap- lains. Recalled to active duty in August 1950, he was assigned to MSTS and spent 2 weeks aboard the GEN M. M. PATRICK undergoing indoctrination. Nex1 he served aboard GEN. M. B. STEWART on a cross- ing to the Far East. Detached in October he flew back from Tokyo to Seattle, where he served as As- sistant to the Staff Chaplain, MSTS, North Pacific. In December he was assigned to the M. M, PATRICK. Aboard ship basic duties were performed as follows: 1. Conduct of Protestant Divine Services and administra- tion of the sacraments. 2. Supervision of daily Protestant devotional service con- ducted by myself andfor passenger chaplains. 3. Provision for Roman Catholic Mass, Sundays and daily, when a passenger chaplain was available, assistance to the Roman Catholic chaplain as needed and desired for con- fessions, choir practice, supplies and equipment, provisions for Roman Catholic Rosary Service when no Roman Cath- olic chaplain was aboard. 4. Provision for Jewish Divine Service when a suH'icien1 number of interested personnel was on board. 5. Facilitation of meetings for other distinctive religious groups as desired. 6. Arranging church parties as needed. 7. Parish visitations: sick bay, brig, in dayrooms, about decks and living quarters. -70-

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Dohrmann, Leonard B. Hester, James D ..,..., Jenkins, Robert E ..,... Karnasiewicz, Charles F ..... . Kuolt, Milton G .....,. . . Marley, Cecil V ......, Martineau, Edward R. . McCarthy, Eugene W. . EVAN St REF... BAP qAy ....,.. BAP QAJ .,..,.. RC .............. LUTH qM0Syp. . . PRESBY CUSAJ . . RC ...,.....,.. RC ...,, Meier, Kermit I ..,..., METH .... Morton, Frank R ..,. LUTH ...... Porter, Harry A .... BAP CAD .... Potter, Paul K ..,..,. METH Reardon, John J ..,. RC ....,. White, Henry P. . . METH. . .. Eve of Fury By 1 April 1951 ominous reports had reached the United Nations command of the influx of some 700,000 fresh Chinese Communist troops via Man- churia. Division Chaplain Kelly had written to Chap- lain Salisbury on 31 March: There is no spectacular fighting going on at present. There is always the ominous feeling that the Reds might unleash some- thingf, And on 21 April, he wrote: Nobody knows what to expect from the enemy. We know they have a terrific concentration of manpower somewhere above us. They have concentrated supplies. Prisoners have given all kinds of dates for their big push. So we are just moving along wondering where and when they are going to hit. Everybody expects that when it comes, it will be all .. .. GEN. J. C. BRECKENRIDGE .. THOMAS JEFFERSON ., GEN. WM. MITCHELL .. REPOSE .. .. GEN. w. A. MANN .. .. SITKOH BAY ,. GEN. H. w. BUTNER .. WINDHAM BAY A GEN. G. M. RANDALL .. CAPE ESPERANCE ., PRESIDENT JACKSON .. HAVEN .. HAVEN .. REPCSE out. However, the general feeling is, Why don't they star it? Then we will End out how tough they are. During the months of the First United Nations Counteroffensive flate January through the middle of Aprilj , UN forces were constantly striking at the enemy and gradually forcing him farther and farther northward, until they were well forward of approx- imately the eastern two-thirds of the 38th Parallel. Even as elements of the lst Marine Division Captured the Hwachon Reservoir on 22 April, thus securing the southeastern approaches of the Iron Triangle, enemy activity erupted all along the front. Chinese and North Koreans poured forth and boldly counter- attacked 5 the long-awaited spring offensive had begun. -72- 1