This Memorial Day weekend people around the nation will focus attention on those who gave their lives in service to the country. Inevitably, people will recall the evening of February 2, 1943. On that day the U.S. Army ship Dorchester -- overcrowded with 902 servicemen, merchant seamen and civilian workers -- was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Newfoundland. The transport sank in fire and smoke in 27 minutes.

According to those present, four Army chaplains aboard the Dorchester brought "hope in despair and light in darkness." The four chaplains spread out among the soldiers and tried to calm the frightened, tend the wounded and guide the disoriented toward safety. The chaplains distributed life jackets to as many men as possible. When there were no more lifejackets, the chaplains removed their own and gave them to four frightened young men. As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains, arms linked and braced against the slanting deck. Their voices could be heard offering prayers.

One of those four chaplains was a Methodist, Lt. George L. Fox. His name will always be remembered along with the other three chaplains, Lt. Alexander D. Goode, Jewish; Lt. John P. Washington, Roman Catholic; and Lt. Clark V. Poling, Dutch Reformed.

The first Methodist chaplain in the armed forces was John Haime, a professional soldier in the British army. Though not commissioned as such, Haime's evangelistic work with the military would earn him that distinction. He had a continuing correspondence with John Wesley, who published some of his letters in Armenian Magazine.

The English often found themselves engaged with the French, their natural enemy. On June 16, 1743, John Haime wrote to Wesley that the army had engaged the French under the command of George II. He reported that as the battle began, Haime prayed: "Lord, in thee have I trusted; let me never be confounded. If I fall this day I shall rest in the everlasting arms of Christ."

The next year Haime reported to Wesley that a Methodist Society that began with three had grown to 12. He closed that letter with a request that Wesley give him guidance on how to run the affairs of the Society. Apparently Wesley gave him good advice, because the next year Haime wrote that the 12 had increased to 200. When the army camped in Belgium, close to Ghent, Haime preached 35 times in seven days.

On this Memorial Day Methodists can proudly recall the long and faithful contributions made by Methodist military chaplains, beginning with John Haime, followed by Lt. George Fox and many others.