PHOTO: COURTESY WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL/PHOTO BY KEN COBB
l This detail from Sacrifice for Freedom shows, among other things, representations of the execution of Nathan Hale (top left), the sacrifice of the Four Chaplains (bottom left), and the Battle of Midway (bottom right).
Chapel of Honor The images shown in Sacrifice for
Freedom, Freedom I, and Freedom II depict scenes from biblical times through World War II that have to do with man’s sacrifices in the name of freedom. Thematically, the windows are generally arranged so that scenes portraying the oldest events are presented at the top of the windows. On the whole, the upper portions of all three sets of windows are reserved for representations of long-ago fights for freedom, while the middle level of all three sets of windows is largely given over to depictions of individuals associated with historic struggles for freedom. The second to lowest portion of each set of windows is devoted to showing early American struggles for freedom, and the glass in the lowest levels of the three sets of windows depicts scenes from World War II. Sacrifice for Freedom, which is located in the south wall above the altar, is dominated by a depiction of Jesus on the cross. Just below the figure of Jesus stand five members of the US armed forces with their hands raised in supplication. Beneath the members of the armed forces is a panel depicting a field of white crosses. In Sacrifice for Freedom visitors will find representations of the death of St. Alban, who was a Christian martyred in Britain around 304 AD for his faith, and a young soldier gesturing toward his fallen foe. There is a depiction of the execution of
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American patriot Nathan Hale (Hale was executed by the British for spying during the American Revolution) and a representation of an attack on a Japanese aircraft carrier during the Battle of Midway. But it is perhaps another section of glass that is set on the lower left-hand side of Sacrifice for Freedom that evokes some of the strongest emotions in some visitors. The section is called The Four
Chaplains. Many Americans will recognize this title and recall the astonishing World War II story of self- sacrifice that it represents. It is an amazing story of how four courageous US Army chaplains gave up their life vests and their lives to save others on
a sinking troop transport. Shown with the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean rising all around them, the chaplains are presented as standing together, looking skyward while the symbols of their faiths—a cross, a Star of David, and the Ten Command- ments—hover over a turbulent sea. Turning to the east wall, visitors to
War Memorial Chapel will see the two sets of windows known as Freedom I and Freedom II. In Freedom I, viewers can see a representation of Moses leading his people to freedom across the Red Sea and George Washington dressed as a general, holding a drawn sword. Paul Revere is portrayed preparing to warn American patriots
The Four Chaplains: The Story Behind the Window E
ARLY IN THE MORNING on February 3, 1943, USAT Dorchester, a US Army transport, and two other ships were being escorted through the North Atlantic Ocean to Greenland by three US Coast Guard cutters. Unbeknownst to the convoy, a German submarine, the U– 223, was waiting in the darkness for a chance to strike. At approximately 1:00 a.m., when the convoy was about one hundred miles from the coast of Greenland, the U–223 launched its attack. The U-boat fired three torpe- does at the convoy, and the Dorchester, which had 900 men aboard, was hit and began to sink.
As the men aboard the Dorchester poured out onto the deck to try to escape the doomed ship, US Army chaplains Rev. George L. Fox, Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Father John P. Washington, and Rev. Clark V. Poling were there to help calm them down. During the eighteen minutes it took for the Dorchester to slip beneath the icy waves of the North Atlantic Ocean, the four men stood on deck passing out life vests. When no more life vests were available, each man gave up his own life vest to try to save someone else. Survivors recalled seeing the Four Chaplains, as they have become known to history, joined arm-in-arm and praying as the ship sank into the depths of the ocean. —LINDA MCMAKEN
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