“Community, Comfort and Combat” focuses on the experience of a World War II Military Chaplain. A well-known story about WWII chaplains comes from four chaplains serving on the SS Dorchester. The story of The Four Chaplains starts, and ends, on February 3rd, 1943. Heroically, these four men worked to calm army soldiers aboard the ship under fire. The chaplains tended to the wounded, distributed lifejackets when it was apparent the ship was going under, and ultimately gave their lives in order to serve the greater purpose of the American Army.

In the wake of World War II, the United States was undergoing a change in religious culture. Specifically, the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt marked a pivotal point in United States religious history. It was during the years leading up to the war that American culture started to become more accepting of Judaism and Catholicism, making America more of a tri-faith nation. Roosevelt, in his 1942 State of the Union address, references the religious implications of World War II. With the culture in America becoming more open toward free exercise and tolerance of religion, Chaplains were sent to serve alongside soldiers in the war to provide moral support and guidance. A prominent influencer of the religious culture in America during this time period was Reverend Peter Marshall. Serving in one of Washington, D.C.’s most distinguished churches, New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Marshall became close to powerful congressmen and the presidency [1]. It was during pre-war era that Marshall delivered a famous sermon, titled “The Tap on the Shoulder.” In this sermon, Marshall states many ministers are not in their pulpit because they chose the profession, rather “he could not help it, because he has obeyed an imperious summons that will not be denied. [2]” Military chaplains serving in the war effort undoubtedly received this personal summons to serve a greater calling in the war effort.

In order to serve as a chaplain during the war, the individual had to be a

“male citizen of the United States, be between the ages of 23 and 34 years old, be ordained and in good standing with a religious denomination, a graduate of a four year college and three year seminary course, and have a previous three years of experience in ministry. [3]”

By the end of the war, almost 9,000 chaplains were actively serving their country [4]. In the European theatre alone, 2,796 chaplains were “living and working with the troops, providing strength, hope, courage, help and consolation. [5]” Throughout the entire war, more than 12,000 chaplains enlisted to serve their country [6].

If an individual met the requirements to become a military chaplain, he would be commissioned to the Army or Navy. Many chaplains trained alongside their soldiers in the training camps. In the training camp, chaplains has specific duties such as “organize worship services, recruit volunteers to serve as vocalists in a choir and recruit readers for scripture lessons. [7]” Each chaplain’s duties and daily routines differed slightly depending on their specific denomination, but more or less the chaplain made himself easily accessible in order to support his soldiers. Sometimes WWII military chaplain history tends to leave out the training camp aspect and focus more on how chaplains served overseas. The role and influence of military chaplains in training camps laid the foundation for the role military chaplains would consume overseas in the heart of the war.

Overseas, chaplains provided spiritual counseling for men in combat. Many chaplains eased their men into understanding death and salvation. Often times, the chaplains would hold religious services before men went into battle [8]. Chaplain Alton Carpenter stated:

“Earlier this evening we had what might be the last religious service for many of these men. From the looks on their faces and the sound of their voices raised in song, one could not detect that they faced tomorrow with fear. [9]”

Chaplains would move from one unit to another in order to ensure all soldiers had access to spiritual guidance [10]. Without this support and guidance, the mentality of soldiers would have suffered even greater.