The Friends of the Idyllwild Library will present another in their cultural and informational monthly series at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, in the Idyllwild Library Community Room. Logan Creighton will be performing an historical reenactment of the story of the Four Chaplains.
On Feb. 3, 1943, a German submarine torpedoed the SS Dorchester, an ocean liner converted for military service. She was traveling to Greenland and was attacked in the North Atlantic Ocean.
With 900 military passengers and crew aboard, she sank in the early morning hours resulting in the death of 674 men. Four of the soldiers who perished were First Lieutenants George L. Fox, Alexander D. Goode, John P. Washington and Clark V. Poling, each new military chaplains of different faiths, being transported to their new assignments in the Eastern Theater.
The survivors remember them as heroes. Together they calmed the panicked soldiers and each gave up their own lifejackets when the supply ran out. They helped others into lifeboats and linked arms, singing hymns and saying prayers as the ship when down.
Creighton is a returning presenter whose re-enactments of historical people and events have entertained and educated audiences in Idyllwild. He successfully dramatizes the heroism and patriotism of these four men of conviction and faith as they practiced what they preached and gave their lives to save others.
The event is free and open to the public.
