Encyclopedia Dubuque
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SCHMITT, Aloysius: Difference between revisions
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On December 7, 1941, Fr. Schmitt was serving on board the battleship, USS Oklahoma and had just finished Mass when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. (6) 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. (7) | On December 7, 1941, Fr. Schmitt was serving on board the battleship, USS Oklahoma and had just finished Mass when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. (6) 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. (7) | ||
[[Image:schmittp.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Memorial in St. Mary's Church. Photo courtesy: Theresa Crabill]]He was honored posthumously by the U.S. government when it awarded him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the Asiastic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the Purple Heart. A destroyer escort named USS Schmitt was commissioned in 1943 by the Navy in his honor and served the U.S. Navy until 1967 when it was transferred to Taiwan. On October 26, 1948, Loras College dedicated the Father Schmitt Memorial of [[CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL]] in his memory. It contains some of Fr. Schmitt's property that was donated to the school. ( | In 1944 a 24-inch crucifix was presented to the [[ARCHDIOCESE OF DUBUQUE]] by the Navy Department. The cross was made of teakwood from the deck of the Oklahoma and the figure of Christ from metal parts of the ship. The presentation made by Captain Joseph T. Casey, Great Lakes, Illinois, chief of chaplains of the 8th Naval District was in honor of Father Schmitt. (8) | ||
[[Image:schmittp.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Memorial in St. Mary's Church. Photo courtesy: Theresa Crabill]]He was honored posthumously by the U.S. government when it awarded him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the Asiastic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the Purple Heart. A destroyer escort named USS Schmitt was commissioned in 1943 by the Navy in his honor and served the U.S. Navy until 1967 when it was transferred to Taiwan. On October 26, 1948, Loras College dedicated the Father Schmitt Memorial of [[CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL]] in his memory. It contains some of Fr. Schmitt's property that was donated to the school. (9) The Chaplain Schmitt Island in the [[MISSISSIPPI RIVER]] is the location of [[DUBUQUE GREYHOUND PARK AND CASINO]]. | |||
In 1968 Father Schmitt was honored in Dubuque when [[SCHMITT HARBOR]] 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 on 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]]. | In 1968 Father Schmitt was honored in Dubuque when [[SCHMITT HARBOR]] 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 on 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]]. | ||
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7. "Father Aloysius Schmitt--Catholic Tradition," Online: http://www.catholictradition.org/father-schmitt.htm | 7. "Father Aloysius Schmitt--Catholic Tradition," Online: http://www.catholictradition.org/father-schmitt.htm | ||
8. McMahon, p. 101-102 | 8. "Material in Crucifix Taken From Warship," The Spokesman-Review, December 11, 1944, p. 11. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19441211&id=1ClWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=f-QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5137,3882528 | ||
9. McMahon, p. 101-102 | |||
[[Category: Religious Leader]] | [[Category: Religious Leader]] | ||
[[Category: Military]] | [[Category: Military]] | ||
[[Category: Walk of Honor]] | [[Category: Walk of Honor]] | ||
Revision as of 04:32, 17 December 2013
SCHMITT, Aloysius (Father). (St. Lucas, IA, Dec. 3, 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. He was the first Iowan and first clergyman to die in WORLD WAR II. (1)
Schmitt attended LORAS COLLEGE and after graduation in 1932 studied in Rome at the North American College at the Vatican for the priesthood. He was ordained on December 8, 1935. (2) Father Schmitt was assigned to parishes in Dubuque including SAINT MARY'S CHURCH and one in Cheyenne, Wyoming. After four years, he received permission from Archbishop Francis J.L. BECKMAN to become a chaplain, and joined the United States Navy. (3) He was appointed Acting Chaplain with rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade (LTJG) on June 28, 1939. (4) He served at the Marine barracks in Quantico, Virginia and then seven weeks on board the aircraft carried USS Yorktown. He was transferred to the USS Oklahoma in March 1940. (5)
On December 7, 1941, Fr. Schmitt was serving on board the battleship, USS Oklahoma and had just finished Mass when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. (6) 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. (7)
In 1944 a 24-inch crucifix was presented to the ARCHDIOCESE OF DUBUQUE by the Navy Department. The cross was made of teakwood from the deck of the Oklahoma and the figure of Christ from metal parts of the ship. The presentation made by Captain Joseph T. Casey, Great Lakes, Illinois, chief of chaplains of the 8th Naval District was in honor of Father Schmitt. (8)
He was honored posthumously by the U.S. government when it awarded him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the Asiastic-Pacific Campaign Medal and the Purple Heart. A destroyer escort named USS Schmitt was commissioned in 1943 by the Navy in his honor and served the U.S. Navy until 1967 when it was transferred to Taiwan. On October 26, 1948, Loras College dedicated the Father Schmitt Memorial of CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL in his memory. It contains some of Fr. Schmitt's property that was donated to the school. (9) The Chaplain Schmitt Island in the MISSISSIPPI RIVER is the location of DUBUQUE GREYHOUND PARK AND CASINO.
In 1968 Father Schmitt was honored in Dubuque when SCHMITT HARBOR 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 on 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.
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Source:
1. McMahon, Kay. "Father Aloysius Schmitt" from They Came to Dubuque by John Tigges, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1983, p. 98
2. Ibid. 99
3. Ibid.
4. Troupe, Allen J. "Fr. Aloysius H. Schmitt--Iowa Boy, American Hero," Online: http://209.157.64.201/focus/f-religion/2625360/posts
5. McMahon, p. 99
6. McClarey, Donald R. "Sunday in Paradise," American Catholic, December 7, 2013, Online: http://the-american-catholic.com/tag/father-aloysius-schmitt/
7. "Father Aloysius Schmitt--Catholic Tradition," Online: http://www.catholictradition.org/father-schmitt.htm
8. "Material in Crucifix Taken From Warship," The Spokesman-Review, December 11, 1944, p. 11. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19441211&id=1ClWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=f-QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5137,3882528
9. McMahon, p. 101-102
