In a special edition of our Life in the Spotlight series, we are honoring veterans in Northwest Indiana who have served in WWII. One of the best ways to honor those who have served our country is to remember who they are and the sacrifices that they made. I can speak for everyone on my staff when I say that it is an honor and a privilege to be able to share the stories of the men and women who served, and still serve, in the US Military.
US Navy veteran, John Wolf, is a name that many in Valparaiso know. Wolf is a retired Navy Chaplain who served in WWII on USS Fredrick Funston (APA-89).
Wolf was born in Kansas City, MO, and moved around often with his family. His father was a YMCA executive which was the reason for the traveling, and finally Wolf and his four other siblings ended up in Pocatello, ID where wolf graduated high school. He graduated at the age of 16, and afterward Wolf furthered his education at Oberlin College in Ohio where he majored in History.
He went into ministry after this and attended Union Theological Seminary in the New York City. When Wolf was a senior, WWII began, and Wolf had to make a decision. Ministers and divinity students were exempt from the draft, so Wolf could volunteer to go to war, or stay home. Wolf volunteered.
At the age of 23, Wolf was the youngest clergymen in the US Navy. He was also one of 10,000 clergymen who volunteered and is the last living US Navy Chaplain in Indiana.
As a Navy Chaplan, Wolf minister to those on his ship, which numbered around 500. The USS Fredrick Funston and its sister ship were the first amphibious ships designed for landing troops with small crafts and taking away the wounded.
"That was our job. I was in eight major battles and our ship was equipped for that," Wolf said. "We were very successful. We never got hit directly by enemy fire and we only lost one man during the whole war."
"I was ministering to all aboard the ship in services and then I ministered to the casualties," Wolf continued. "When we would get to a rendezvous point and all our ships in the convoy would gather, we maybe had 50 ships, I would find a ship that had a Catholic Chaplain on it and arrange to trade. He'd conduct a mass on my ship and I'd hold a service on his. The only ships that had two Chaplains on it were the big ships like the the USS Indianapolis."
A Chaplain in the military plays a very important role. Being away from home and family, the destruction of war, injuries, the death of fellow servicemen...all of these things greatly weighed on the minds of those who served during the war. Wolf would work with the doctors who treated casualties and minister to them. He would hold Sunday services and conduct burials at sea for those who lost their lives.
"Their wounds weren't just physical," Wolf explained. "We ministered to everyone."
For 23 months, Wolf served as Chaplain on his ship until the war ended. Afterward, he was assigned to the Navy Chaplains School at the College of William and Mary in Virginia where he taught Naval History during WWII.
Wolf continued in ministry and led seven different churches all over the country, finally ending up at the First United Methodist Church in Valparaiso with his wife Carolyn and three sons John Jr., Carter, and Earl in 1984.
Wolf shared some advice for young men and women who are thinking of joining the military.
"The military isn't a game. It's a serious business and a conscious decision," Wolf said. "Whether you are Christian or Jewish or whatever, it's not to be taken lightly and needs to be thought through."
Thank you to John Wolf and all the others who bravely served our country. We cannot and will not forget you.