Father Aloysius H. Schmitt (December 4, 1909 – December 7, 1941) was a Roman Catholic priest of the

Archdiocese of Dubuque The Archdiocese of Dubuque ( la, Archidiœcesis Dubuquensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the northeastern quarter of the state of Iowa in the United States. It includes all the Iowa counti ...

, who served as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

in the United States Navy at the beginning of World War II.

Early life and ordination

Born in

St. Lucas, Iowa St. Lucas is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 167 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography St. Lucas is located at (43.063955, -91.934641). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total ...

to Henry and Mary Anna (Kuennen) Schmitt, Schmitt studied at Columbia College (now Loras College) in Dubuque, Iowa and graduated in 1932. He then studied in Rome for the priesthood. He was ordained on December 8, 1935. Father Schmitt was first assigned as an associate at Saint Mary's Church in Dubuque. He was also assigned to St. Mary's Cathedral in Cheyenne, Wyoming. After four years, he received permission to become a

, and joined the United States Navy. He was appointed Acting Chaplain with rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade (LTJG) on June 28, 1939.

Military service and death

On December 7, 1941, Fr. Schmitt was serving on board the battleship USS ''Oklahoma'' during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, when a hit caused the ship to capsize. A number of sailors, including Fr. Schmitt, were trapped in a compartment with only a small porthole as the means of escape. Fr. Schmitt helped a number of men through this porthole. When it came his time to leave, he declined and helped more men escape. In total, he helped 12 men escape. Fr. Schmitt died on board the '' Oklahoma'', and was the first chaplain from USA of any faith to have died in World War II. Most of the bodies were recovered after the ship was righted in 1943. His remains were originally buried in a cemetery in Hawaii as an "Unknown." In 1944, the Navy presented a specially made crucifix to the Archdiocese of Dubuque, in honor of Chaplain Schmitt. It was 24 inches tall and was made from the teakwood deck of the ''Oklahoma''. The corpus of Christ on the crucifix was shaped from the ship's metal. The presentation was made by the chief of chaplains,

8th Naval district The naval district was a U.S. Navy military and administrative command ashore. Apart from Naval District Washington, the Districts were disestablished and renamed Navy Regions about 1999, and are now under Commander, Naval Installations Command ...

. In 2015 the United States Department of Defense exhumed the remains of what were believed to be 388 military personnel. Schmitt's remains were identified in 2016 from DNA taken from his skull and matched with that of a relative. They were returned to Iowa where a Memorial Mass was celebrated in his home parish of St. Luke in St. Lucas on October 5, 2016. His remains were transferred to Dubuque where a funeral Mass and burial were held in Christ the King Chapel at Loras College on October 8, 2016.

Posthumous honors

*Fr. Schmitt was honored posthumously by the U.S. government when it awarded him the

Navy and Marine Corps Medal The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The medal was established by an act of Congr ...

and Purple Heart. On December 7, 2017 he was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

. * St. Francis Xavier Chapel at Camp Lejeune was dedicated in his memory in 1942. *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. *Christ the King Chapel at Loras College was dedicated in his memory in 1947 and contains some of Fr. Schmitt's personal effects that had been recovered from the ''Oklahoma'' — including his chalice and prayer book — and other items that were donated to the school. Present at the dedication were Cardinal

Samuel Stritch Samuel Alphonsius Stritch (August 17, 1887 – May 27, 1958) was an American Cardinal prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1940 to 1958 and as pro-prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Pro ...

of Chicago and Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of the Pacific Fleet during World War II. * City Island, in the Mississippi River near Dubuque (formerly known as Ham's Island, after Mathias Ham who once owned it) was renamed Chaplain Schmitt Memorial Island. It is the location of

Dubuque Greyhound Park and Casino Q Casino (formerly Mystique and Dubuque Greyhound Park & Casino) is a casino located in Dubuque, Iowa. It also was a greyhound race track until racing ceased there on May 15, 2022. The facility is operated by the non-profit Dubuque Racing Assoc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmitt, Aloysius 1909 births 1941 deaths People from Fayette County, Iowa American people of German descent Catholics from Iowa Loras College alumni Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests United States Navy officers United States Navy chaplains World War II chaplains United States Navy personnel killed in World War II Deaths by Japanese airstrikes during the attack on Pearl Harbor Recipients of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Military personnel from Iowa

Early life and ordination

Military service and death

Posthumous honors

See also

References