Salt Lake Telegram | 1942-10-31 | Page 1 | Navy Chaplain Has No Recollection of Phrase, 'Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition'

Navy Chaplain Has No Recollection of Phrase Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition NEW YORK Oct 31 UP Ri- Ri Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition may become an n American legend but C Chaplain William Maguire to whom song songwriters songwriters songwriters writers attributed the phrase has no recollection of saying it it- it and he positively didn't man a agun agun agun gun during the attack on Pearl Harbor Bishop John F. F O OHara O'Hara Hara head of the military of the Catholic church in America explained explained ex ex- Saturday in a joint in interview interview interview in- in with the chaplain under navy auspices that it was necessary necessary necessary sary to affirm the truth of Chaplain Maguires Maguire's conduct Inasmuch inasmuch inasmuch in in- as international law bars chaplains from combat t j Both the bishop and Chaplain Maguire a captain in the navy who was chief of chaplains of th the United States Pacific fleet when the Japanese struck Hawaii Hawaii Ha Ha- wail told reporters that for a chaplain to man a gun against the enemy was as serious an offense of ot- as arming anning a hospital ship I 1 want to clear up the misunderstanding misunderstanding mis mis- understanding once and for all Chaplain Maguire said The report that I manned a gun in inthe inthe inthe the heat of battle at Pearl Harbor Harbor Harbor Har Har- bor is absolutely false As to the report that I said Praise the lord and pass the ammunition I have no recollection of using those words I It is the duty of every chaplain chaplain chaplain chap chap- lain to give encouragement to tomen tomen tomen men under fire as well weIl as to the wounded and suffering and it is probably true that I used some phrase such as God help us' us Inthe in inthe inthe the thick of it it Bishop OHara O'Hara said We dont don't like to place the nation in a position of boasting about a violation violation vio yb- lation of international law Jaw and the Geneva conference that did not occur The chaplain explained that he was dismayed when he reached New York City recently to find that thata a popular song using the phrase had printed on the sheet m music music sic an article attributing attributing ing it to him l J