by Donald F. Crosby
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Book Description
 "If death must come — then far better for it
to come when I'm shoulder to shoulder with these men who are fighting to preserve our
country. . . . They are going to know that, in spite of being 'scared as hell' like the
rest of them, a Catholic Priest is still going ahead and doing his work."
Father James P. Flynn could have been speaking for the rest of the chaplain corps, for
he and his comrades shared fully in the lot of the common soldier: in Pacific island
jungles, Europe's battered cities, North African deserts, and the oceans in between. And
like the common soldier, chaplains endured the same combat perils, exposure to the
elements, internal conflicts, boredom, and intense longings for peace and home.
Father Donald Crosby chronicles the little-known but crucial wartime role of Catholic
chaplains and celebrates their compassion, courage, good humor, and humility. Their
wartime efforts saved lives, provided comfort and hope, and renewed lost faith in a dark
time. In the process, he shows, they also forged the beginnings of what would become the
widespread ecumenical spirit of cooperation among Catholics, Protestants, and Jews that
followed the war's end.
Although Crosby praises their heroic efforts, very much like those of Protestant and
Jewish chaplains, he reveals that they were subject to the same human frailties as the men
they comforted. They were also intensely patriotic and raised few objections to the racist
and propagandistic depictions of the enemy, to the massed bombings of German and Japanese
cities, or even to the use of the atomic bomb at war's end. (On the other hand, they
zealously opposed many of their charges' sexual activities, including the use of
prophylactics.)
Drawing upon many previously untapped church and government archival sources, as well
as extensive interviews, Crosby's study vividly portrays faith under fire and grace at
groundlevel, reminding us again that "there are no atheists in foxholes."
From the back cover of Battlefield Chaplains : Catholic Priests in WWII
"A story both authentic and stirring. Under hostile fire, the
chaplains risked their lives. They sought the wounded, the dying, and the dead who lay
exposed and helpless. They succored them, rescued them, brought them back to medical aid
stations, and prayed over them. They buried bodies and wrote to the families of the
deceased. . . . Crosby's words will bring lumps to the throat, tears to the eyes, and a
sense of wonder and joy for their heroism."--Martin Blumenson, author of The
Patton Papers
"Crosby captures the experience of war from the grass roots:
the human agony, fearful anticipation, omnipresent danger, and the overwhelming reality of
death, and he demonstrates the crucial role played by chaplains. This is a significant
contribution to the field of American Catholic and religious history. Scholars and general
readers alike will find it fascinating because of the compelling personalities and
dramatic anecdotes."--David J. O'Brien, author of Public Catholicism
"Unsentimental and realistic in his approach, painstaking in his research, and
stirring in his presentation, Crosby has given us a story never before told. And he has
done so in a style characteristic of the finest examples of America's vast World War II
literature."--Eric Hammel, author of Guadalcanal: Starvation Island
300 pages
Dimensions (in inches): 0.81 x 9.02 x 6.04
Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas
ISBN: 0700608141
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