By Jonann Brady
In a packed room of fellow veterans and other guests, Joe Archer of Baldwin, one of the 25 living survivors of the Dorchester, recounted the tale of the night in 1943 he almost lost his life. And the significance of the Four Chaplains' story in light of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack was lost on no one.
Now 81, Archer was a 22-year-old soldier when he set sail from New York Harbor with over 900 other servicemen bound for Greenland. To reach their destination, the dorchester had to traverse a section of the North Atlantic thick with German U-Boats known as Torpedo Junction.
Ten days into the trip, on Feb. 6 a German submarine fired a torpedo at the Dorchester, hitting the boiler room. The explosion killed many instantly and trapped many others below deck. The ship began listing to the starboard side and quickly sinking.
On board that night were four Army chaplains: Lt. George Fox, a Methodist minister; Lt. Alexander Goode, a rabbi; Lt. Charles Poling, a reformed church minister; and Lt. John Washington, a Roman Catholic priest. As the ship began to sink, the chaplains offered comfort and prayers to the passenger, helping men into lifeboats. Eventually, witnesses say, the Four Chaplains gave away their own life vests to others, then locked arms in prayer as the ship sank.
For his part, Archer does not remember seeing the Four Chaplains during the trip, but did remember eating supper in the ship's galley, with cups and plates sliding around the long wooden tables. The troops were warned of a potential attack by the Germans, and he remembered going to bed fully dressed, shoes and life vest included, with "fear lurking in the back of my mind."
When the torpedo hit, Archer recalled a dull thud, then hearing the voices and footsteps of men scurrying to deck.
"Instinctively, I knew the worst had happened," said Archer, who described feeling a "stark fear I've never experienced before or since."
Archer made it to the deck and saw a lifeboat pulling away in the water about five feet below. He heard men behind him, shouting, "Don't jump!" But, as he said, "self-preservation was in control" and he jumped into the icy waters. He was rescued soon after by the Coast Guard.
Archer said this year in particular, the legacy of the Four Chaplains was underscored by the World Trade Center attack, in which hundreds gave their lives to try to rescue others.
And Archer, who has told his story countless times, said that repeating the story is to keep from forgetting, a mantra that veterans know very well.
"The events of Sept. 11 are a prime example of how real things are as they happen, but how they fade over time," said Archer.
