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Abstract

This paper argues that the Christian chaplains of the U.S. Army during World War II greatly impacted the soldiers that they served by caring for their spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The paper begins with a reference to the “Four Chaplains” who gave their lives to save others in 1943 and a brief look at the history of the U.S. military chaplaincy. It also examines the leadership and training of U.S. Army chaplains during World War II under William R. Arnold, who was the Army Chief of Chaplains from 1937 to 1945. Then, the paper demonstrates that Christian Army chaplains like Terence Patrick Finnegan, Eugene Lewis Daniel Jr., John Grady Burkhalter, and those serving under Island Command Guam in 1945 helped the men under their care in a variety of ways, especially spiritually and physically. Significantly, this section relies heavily upon primary documents held in the Liberty University Chaplains Museum’s Burkhalter Collection that have scarcely been used in historical research. Finally, the paper incorporates key secondary sources like Lyle W. Dorsett’s Serving God and Country: U.S. Military Chaplains in World War II and Michael Snape’s God and Uncle Sam: Religion and America's Armed Forces in World War II to show how chaplains served their soldiers mentally and emotionally by strengthening their morale and offering pastoral counseling. In conclusion, the Army's Christian chaplains of World War II glorified God and deserve to be remembered as part of America’s Christian heritage.

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