Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II

courage to propose to his college sweetheart, Sarah Bagley. He told her, “If you’ll sort the socks and read the mail, I can do the rest.”³⁴⁵ Sarah consented, and they were happily married. Shumway summed up the peaks and valleys of his life and explained the powerful source of his motivation: “I felt that my heavenly Father had blessed me and spared my life for a reason.”³⁴⁶

For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

—Matthew 13:17

August 29 An Unexpected Benefit

Combat conditions had a way of dissolving denominational differences. Chaplains found themselves ministering to the men and women around them regardless of their religious affiliation or even non-affiliation. One Catholic chaplain with the 93^rd Division found 98 percent of his troops Protestant and still worked tirelessly to provide religious support to every man. A Baptist chaplain and a Catholic chaplain worked together with the Marines going into Tarawa, and both became popular with the troops of each other’s faith. A war correspondent observed them in action and commented, “Denominational distinctions did not mean much to men about to offer up their lives.”³⁴⁷

The military chaplains of World War II practiced an ecumenism born of necessity. From their combat experiences many of these chaplains also found a deeper personal faith that tended to further blur denominational differences. This cooperative spirit was a blessing to millions of men and women in uniform and would eventually bless the nation as well. Inevitably, these chaplains returned home to bring better understanding between the faiths. One historian described the phenomenon:

The American and Allied sense and hope for a better future included a perhaps unexpected benefit as chaplains returned after the war to their churches, schools, and communities. The nature of their service in combat stripped away many of the traditional icons and trappings; the faith of many chaplains was deepened by this return to the basics. There was also a significant growth in ecumenical spirit and understanding. At the battalion aid stations and the burial sites, the chaplains, regardless of their own faith, knew and used appropriately the counsel, prayers and last rites befitting the soldier who was sick, wounded, dying, or just plain afraid and exhausted.³⁴⁸

There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

—Ephesians 4:46

August 30 No Self-Righteousness

Samuel Moor Shoemaker was rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in New York from 1925 to 1952. He is best remembered for his work helping formulate the Twelve Step Program for Alcoholics Anonymous. During World War II many of his sermons addressed the war effort, and his words were not always soothing to his listeners. He lashed out at the immorality that he saw in the nation, comparing America to a “spoiled child.” He did support the war effort, determining it a “grim necessity” and an opportunity for nations to again choose democracy. However, he abhorred any self-righteousness on the part of his countrymen:

No war can ever be a clear-cut way for a Christian to express his hatred of evil. For war involves a basic confusion. All the good in the world is not ranged against all the evil. In the present war, some nations that have a great deal of evil in them are yet seeking to stand for freedom… against other nations which have a great deal of good in them but yet are presently dedicated to turning the world backwards into the darkness of enslavement.³⁴⁹

These words can be applied to individuals as well as to nations. Every human being has the potential for good as well as evil. And every “good” person falls short of God’s expectations. Christians especially must understand this truth. By definition, a Christian is a fallen human being whose only value comes from the grace of God and trust in Jesus Christ. There is no room for a “holier than thou” attitude toward any other human being. Samuel Shoemaker was right to remind Americans then and now that self-righteousness is even more destructive when evidenced by a nation.

Do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you.

—Deuteronomy 9:4

August 31 Pass the Ammunition

On December 7, 1941, the USS New Orleans was moored along Berth 16 at the Navy Yard, Pearl Harbor, undergoing engine repairs while on shore power. As soon as the Japanese air attack began, the general quarters alarm sounded, and the crew scrambled to their battle stations. The sky was filled with attacking aircraft, and, in a few moments, all of the New Orleans ’ air defense weapons were firing at a fever pitch. The ship’s chaplain, Cdr. Howell Forgy, moved about the ship, giving encouragement to the men. He himself was inspired by a group of sailors passing shells to one of the five-inch gun mounts:

The big five-inch shells, weighing close to a hundred pounds, were being pulled up the powerless hoist by ropes attached to their long, tube-like metal cases. A tiny Filipino messboy, who weighed little more than the shell, hoisted it to his shoulder, staggered a few steps, and grunted as he started the long, tortuous trip up two flights of ladders to the quarterdeck, where the guns thirsted for steel and powder. A dozen eager men lined up at the hoist. The parade of ammunition was endless, but the cry kept coming from topside for more, more, more… The boys were putting everything they had into the job, and it was beginning to tell on them… Minutes turned to hours. Physical exhaustion was coming to every man in the human endless-chain of that ammunition line. They struggled on. They could keep going only by keeping faith in their hearts.

I slapped their wet, sticky backs and shouted, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.”^*

This phrase soon became well known and was incorporated into a song by Frank Loesser. Reflecting a more innocent age and the religious character of America at that time, it became a popular hit. The song told the story of a chaplain who laid aside his Bible to man the guns, while shouting what was to become one of the most famous