On this day 1943, February 3. the four Immortal Chaplains who gave up their life to save others.

 WWII - Four Chaplains February 3, 1943 Four U.S. Army Chaplains die after giving up their life jackets to save others.

 After their ship was hit by German torpedoes, they helped others board lifeboats and gave up their own life jackets when the supply ran out.

 The chaplains joined arms, said prayers, and sang hymns as they went down with the ship.

The four chaplains were George L. Fox, Alexander D. Goode, Clark V. Poling, and John P. Washington.

The Four Chaplains, also referred to as the "Immortal Chaplains" or the "Dorchester Chaplains", were four World War II chaplains who died rescuing civilian and military personnel as the American troop ship SS Dorchester sank on February 3, 1943. 

Each of the four chaplains was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart.

The chaplains were nominated for the Medal of Honor, but were found ineligible as they had not engaged in combat with the enemy.

 Instead, Congress created a medal for them, with the same weight and importance as the Medal of Honor.

The relatively new chaplains all held the rank of first lieutenant. They included Methodist minister the Reverend George L. Fox, Reform Rabbi Alexander D. Goode (PhD), Catholic priest Father John P. Washington, and Reformed Church in America minister the Reverend Clark V. Poling. 

Their backgrounds, personalities, and denominations were different, although Goode, Poling and Washington had all served as leaders in the Boy Scouts of America.

They helped as many men as they could into lifeboats, and then linked arms and, saying prayers and singing hymns, went down with the ship.

As I swam away from the ship, I looked back.

 The flares had lighted everything. The bow came up high and she slid under.

 The last thing I saw, the Four Chaplains were up there praying for the safety of the men. They had done everything they could. I did not see them again.

 They themselves did not have a chance without their life jackets.

— Grady Clark, survivor 

According to some reports, survivors could hear different languages mixed in the prayers of the chaplains, including Jewish prayers in Hebrew and Catholic prayers in Latin