Bill > SJR0007

This resolution designates Sunday, February 2, 2025, and the first Sunday in February thereafter as "Four Chaplains Day" in Tennessee to commemorate an extraordinary act of heroism during World War II. The resolution honors four military chaplains - Lt. George L. Fox (Methodist), Lt. Alexander D. Goode (Jewish), Lt. John P. Washington (Roman Catholic), and Lt. Clark V. Poling (Dutch Reformed) - who sacrificed their lives on February 3, 1943, when the U.S. Army transport ship Dorchester was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Newfoundland. During the sinking, which claimed 672 lives, these chaplains helped calm panicked soldiers, distributed lifejackets, and ultimately gave up their own life preservers to save four young soldiers. As the ship went down, they were seen linking arms, praying together, and embodying extraordinary courage and interfaith solidarity. The chaplains were posthumously awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Purple Heart, and a special Four Chaplains Medal by Congress in 1960, and this resolution seeks to memorialize their remarkable act of selflessness more than 80 years after the event.

Government Affairs

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SJR0007&ga=114