The Chapel of the Four Chaplains recently awarded its 2004 Legion of Honor distinction to Keith Ethridge of Hampton.
Ethridge, a chaplain endorsed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, is acting deputy director for the National Chaplains Center for the Department of Veterans Affairs. A former U.S. Navy chaplain, Ethridge leads the Veterans Affairs Chaplains School and is a member of Hampton Baptist Church.
The Chapel of the Four Chaplains annually recognizes individuals who render selfless service.
Dedicated by President Harry S Truman in 1951, the Chapel was inspired by the courageous acts of four U.S. Army chaplains serving aboard the U.S. troop carrier Dorchester, which was sunk by a torpedo off the coast of Greenland in 1943. The chaplains-Catholic, Dutch Reformed, Jewish and Methodist-went down with the ship after surrendering their own life jackets to service men aboard.
Previous recipients of the Legion of Honor Award include presidents Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan; Bob Hope, John Glenn, Martha Raye, James Michener, Mariah Anderson, C. Everett Koop, Tommy Lasorda and Shirley Chisholm.
Special to the Herald