PEARL HARBOR AND 9/11 THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF CIVIL DIPLOMATS CHAPLAINS IN THE WORST SCENARIOS

Civil Diplomats Chaplains Dedicate Time to Training Themselves to Confront Their Fears During Catastrophic Events

Pearl Harbor and 9/11 the crucial role of Civil Diplomats Chaplains in the worst scenarios.

The photo shows Mrs. Lara Sena, a Jethro Civil Diplomat Chaplain at the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites.

The Jethro Civil Diplomat is an organization based in Europe with international recognition for training Civil Diplomats-Chaplains worldwide for more than 20 years.

The training and the knowledge acquired by Civil Diplomats-Chaplains by Jethro are significant.

It ensures that they can quickly think straight and assist people in the face of devastating events until the end.

Therefore, the biggest challenges of the 21st century, such as:

• Quality of life in megacities
• Weapons of mass destruction
• Energy supply
• Pandemics
• Climate change

Are part of Jethro’s preparatory content for Civil Diplomats Chaplains in the contemporary world.

In the same way, international economic cooperation, international financial institutions, health, scientific policy and international migration.

In this article, we remember two catastrophic events in US history, the attacks on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941 and the 11th September 2001.

However, we must see this history from the point of view and actions taken by the Civil Diplomats Chaplains at the time.

Father Mychal Judge and the crucial role of Civil Diplomats Chaplains in the worst scenarios – The Twin Towers 9/11

As the two towers collapsed and the New York Fire Department rushed to save the victims, Father Mychal Judge, Chaplain of the NYFD, also entered the burning buildings to assist the victims and provide support to first responders.

One of the many striking images of 9/11 is Father Judge’s body being pulled from the rubble.

More than 400 New York City firefighters and police officers lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (WTC).

Many other people at the scene that day and in the weeks that followed also witnessed horrific events at close range, including the loss of colleagues and the gruesome recovery and removal of body parts.

Killed on 9/11, firefighter chaplain becomes larger than life

Father Mychal Judge became chaplain for the fire department in 1992

When planes hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Father Mychal Judge rushed to the North Tower with the fire department he served. Not long after, he became one of the first recorded victims of the terrorist attacks.

A book about his life has already been released and another is in the works. The French named him to the Legion of Honor, and Pope John Paul II accepted the gift of his helmet.

 A dizzying array of demands confronted the Chaplains

On September 11, 2001, first responders of all stripes did everything they could in the hours and days after the towers fell.

They aim to bring comfort and hope to those devastated by the terrorist act.

It was a day when there were no barriers, there were no denominations, Chaplains were praying for everyone.

Firefighters, people that had lost their correlatives, blessing found bones and body fragments as they were brought to the chapel by the first rescuers before being bagged and sent to the morgue.

Father Schmitt and the crucial role of Civil Diplomats Chaplains in the worst scenarios – The Attack in Pearl Harbor

The Pearl Harbor attack was a surprise military attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States.

against the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, shortly before 8:00 am on Sunday, December 7, 1941.

The base was attacked by 353 Imperial Japanese aircraft in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers.

Of the eight US Navy warships present, all were damaged, with four sunk. More than 180 US aircraft were destroyed.

A total of 2,403 Americans were killed and another 1,178 were wounded, making it the deadliest event on record in Hawaii.

Father Aloysius Schmitt, a native of St. Lucas and a 1932 graduate of Loras College, he was ordained to the Archdiocese of Dubuque before joining the Navy.

The 32-year-old lieutenant was killed aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The priest had just said mass around 7:48 am when his ship was hit by torpedoes and began to sink.

Father Schmitt sacrificed his own chance to escape and helped save the lives of a dozen men by pushing them through a hatch to safety.

For his heroism, Father Schmitt was initially awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the Purple Heart.

Disasters and wars are a reality in our world, so the work and training of chaplains remains fundamental to society facing fear and facing catastrophic events.