Ceremony to honor four WWII Army chaplains who died helping save soldiers

DAYTON, Ohio — A national ceremony held in Ohio will honor four U.S. Army chaplains who helped save other soldiers before dying on an Army transport ship hit by a German torpedo in World War II.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' ceremony Friday at the Dayton VA Medical Center will honor the actions of Lt. George Fox, Lt. Alexander Goode, Lt. John Washington and Lt. Clark Poling. VA officials say the four chaplains were on the U.S. Army Transport Dorchester when it was torpedoed in February 1943.

They handed out lifejackets to other soldiers and eventually gave up their own lifejackets. Witnesses reported seeing the chaplains on the Dorchester's deck with their arms linked, offering prayers as the ship went down.

Only 230 of the 902 men onboard survived.