Though we did not see much about them in the dispatches, those soldiers
of the Most High, the army chaplains who went to the front, were often
as heroic and self-sacrificing in attending to their duties as were the
doughboys themselves. Among the many was Father John J. Brady of New
York, the young Catholic chaplain of the 5th Regiment, U. S. Marines,
who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for things he did in
the Château-Thierry region in the deadly period of June, 1918. Some of
the zealous folk who wish to put a ban on tobacco in all of its forms
will hardly understand the quality of heroism that prompted Father
Brady to risk his life on several occasions to carry cigarettes to men
of the fighting line who could not otherwise have had the “soldier’s
solace” after the perils and fatigues of long hours of trench service.
Nevertheless, that generous and courageous act was among the valiant
things for which his country officially honored him. In the big fight
that turned back the Germans, this free-souled chaplain made two
complete tours of the front line under severe fire, ministering in
unusually trying circumstances to the wounded and dying men of his
regiment. Right well the men of that regiment loved him—not because he
was their chaplain but because he was the chaplain who understood. A
wonderful thing is understanding. We recall that the wise Solomon rated
it above all things else.
[Illustration:
_Drawn by Joseph Cummings Chase._