Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
SCHMITT, Aloysius
SCHMITT, Aloysius (Father). (St. Lucas, IA, Dec. 4, 1909--Pearl Harbor, HA, Dec. 7, 1941). Chaplain of the USS Oklahoma. The first chaplain to die in WORLD WAR II, Father Schmitt perished while heroically attempting to save others following the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. His death occurred on the sixth anniversary of his ordination.
Schmitt attended LORAS COLLEGE and after graduation in 1932 studied in Rome for the priesthood. He was ordained on December 8, 1935. Father Schmitt was assigned to parishes in Dubuque including ST. MARY'S CHURCH and one in Cheyenne, Wyoming. After four years, he received permission to become a chaplain, and joined the United States Navy. He was appointed Acting Chaplain with rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade (LTJG) on June 28, 1939.
On December 7, 1941, Fr. Schmitt was serving on board the battleship, USS Oklahoma when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. A Japanese hit caused the ship to capsize. A number of sailors, including Fr. Schmitt, were trapped in a compartment with only a small porthole. Fr. Schmitt helped twelve men escape through this porthole declining opportunities for his own rescue.
On October 26, 1948, Loras dedicated the Father Schmitt Memorial of CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL in his memory. Father Schmitt was honored in 1968 when a harbor in Dubuque was named in his honor. A monument shaped like a ship's wheel sinking beneath the waves was placed on the riverbank in 1973. He was honored nationally during the May 21, 1989, dedication of a gray granite monument or Chaplain's Hill at Arlington National Cemetery The monument honors Roman Catholic priests killed during service in World War II, the Korean War, or the VIETNAM WAR.