Synopses & Reviews
In World War II, more than twelve thousand Protestant ministers, Catholic priests, and Jewish rabbis joined the Chaplain Corps. They were men of faith under fire. And they would charge straight into Hell to save the soul of a single soldierandhellip;
Representing Americaandrsquo;s three major religious traditions, volunteers from across the country enlisted as noncombatant commissioned officers to provide spiritual strength and guidance for those fighting men who never knew if they were going to survive.
Armed only with Bibles, Torahs, and the tools of their holy trade, these men of God went wherever the troops went. They prayed over men about to go into combat on land, at sea, and in the air. And, most important and difficult of all, they guided fallen fighting men of every faith as they breathed their last, and gave up their lives in the fight against tyranny.
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These are the personal stories of some of the bravest and most selfless men who served with the armed forces. Many lost their lives or suffered debilitating wounds as they strived to keep the military personnel spiritually awake, morally fitandmdash;and prepared to make the journey from this world to the next without fear or despair, and with the trust of the Almighty in their hearts.
INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS
Review
andldquo;Dr. Dorsett has skillfully written the stories of the chaplains who made their contribution during World War II...This is a tremendous work of interest to military historians, spiritual leaders from all faith groups, and patriotic Americans.andrdquo;andmdash;Carlton W. Fulford, Jr., General (Ret.) U.S. Marine Corps
andldquo;One of those rare books that delivers excellent history and realistic inspiration in equal measure.andrdquo;andmdash;Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame
andldquo;Lyle Dorsett does a superb job at capturing the spirit, culture, and challenges chaplains of all denominations faced during World War II.andrdquo;andmdash;Chaplain (LTC) Robert Nay, 5X Skill ID, Military Historian, U.S. Army
Synopsis
In October 1943, twenty-seven-year-old combat infantry chaplain Israel Yost arrived in Italy with the 100th Battalion, a little-known National Guard unit of mostly Japanese Americans from Hawai'i. Yost was apprehensive when he learned of his assignment to this unusual unit composed of soldiers with whom he felt he had little in common and who were mostly Buddhists. But this would soon change.
For the next nineteen months at the front--from Salerno to Monte Cassino to Anzio to Bruyeres--Yost assisted medics, retrieved bodies from the battlefield, buried enemy soldiers, struggled to bolster morale as the number of casualties rose higher and higher, and wrote countless letters of condolence, all in addition to fulfilling his ministerial duties, which included preaching in the foxholes. Although his sermons won few converts, Yost's tireless energy and concern for others earned him admiration from his fellow soldiers, who often turned to him as a trusted friend and spiritual advisor.
Forty years after the war had ended, with the help of his field diaries and the letters he had written almost daily to his wife, Yost wrote of his wartime experiences in the hopes that they might one day be published as a record of the remarkable character and accomplishments of the 100th. Combat Chaplain presents this heartfelt memoir intact. with the addition of photographs and subsequent letters and speeches by Yost and other veterans.
About the Author
Lyle W. Dorsett has a Ph.D. in American history, served in the Marine Corps Reserves, and taught twentieth-century U.S. history at the University of Southern California, University of Missouriandndash;St. Louis, University of Coloradoandndash;Denver, Denver University, and Wheaton College in Illinois. Dorsett is also rector of Christ the King Anglican Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and he currently holds the Billy Graham Chair of Evangelism at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University.