Ora L His Tor Y T Ran S C Rip T Rear Admiral Henry John
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ORA L HIS TOR Y T RAN SC RIP T REAR ADMIRAL HENRY JOHN ROTRIGE Chaplain Corps, u. S. Navy (Retired) Commander H. Lawrence Martin Chaplain Corps, u. S. Navy Interviewer ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM Chaplain Corps united States Navy 1983 11 in Series Chaplain Henry John Rotrige, affectionately known to his friendsasllcY/i,. entered the Navy in early 1942, a few weeks after the att~ck on . Pearl Harbor.' '~'Hebega:rrhis ministry' withnava:l air ,which was to receive'aTargepa.rt of his ministry.' His first tour was a split one'P'{:with'the first'portionbeing devoted to the Naval Ai r sfation;>':(iacksOnvilIe}' Florida;' and the second port ion to ' the Nav'a:l::Ait'I',eChnical Trainingcenter,calso in 'Jacksonville. His two seatolirswer~ bot.hspent'in carriers--the USS SANTEE and the tJSS' ROOSEVELT. ( The SANTEE received the Presidential unitCftafi6'nforherparticipat.ionln the Battle of Leyte .. ' Gulf io"1944';:)' S\lch dut,lesprepared him to serve later as force chaplafri:·'wit.hCoinrnarider, Naval Air; Atlantic. "Ct{apTain' Rotrige was also involved with ministry to the Mariri~'CortJs>Hisdutyat the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris"r s ia~d"; Sou thcat61ina served as background for a later tour asfbr~echaplain, Fleet: Marine Force, Atlantic. 1'6 Chaplain Rotrige belongs the distinction of being the first R~man'cat~6licchaplainto serve at the U. S. Naval Academy'.' This tour (1947-51) was from all indications a happy and success£ul one,' for he returned for another (1957-61), and he went back to the Academy to conduct a special mass in connection with his retirement party in 1972. ii Although Chaplain Rotrige disclaimed having special . ability in or propensity for ad~inistrative tasks, the Navy felt"otherwise.-· Several of hi~ assign~ents" involved him in functions that called for such expertise. Especially was this true in his assignment to two tours in the Office of the Chief of Chaplains--firstas head of plans and policies and ~hen, in the rank of rear admiral, as the Director of the Chaplains Division. He was the first person to have this title. Chaplain Rotrige' slast" duty assignment was as staff chaplain of Commander, service Force, pacific and as Fleet Chaplain,u. s. Pacific Fleet. He was well prepared for that assignment, n~t: only from his wide experience, but also in that he had served as assistant to Chaplain Clinton A. Neyman, who held that position in 1945-47. He served in this capacity··during the vietnam War and visited vietnam. At the close of that tour, the last one of his naval career, Chaplain Rotrige was awarded the Legion of Merit. He had previously been honored in 1964, when he was elevated to the rank of Domestic Prelate of the Roman Catholic Church with the title of Right Reverend Monsignor. Although he has enjoyed golf at times, Chaplain Rotrige's chief hobby is sailing, a hobby that he has avidly pursued since his first tour at the Academy. Chaplain Rotrige is characterized by a deep sense of humor, frankness and directness in dealing with personalities and issues, a love for preaching, and a gregarious nature iii that has won him many friends. Asked what his contributions to the Chaplain Corps were, Chaplain Rotrige stated with humility that he had had some part in the development of ecumenicity in the Corps; referred to the influence of his preaching, especially at the Naval Academy; and mentioned his work toward achieving better housing for bachelor officers. He also listed his emphasis on liturgy and his stressing of the spiritual aspects of ministry. It has been more than ten years since Chaplain Rotrige retired. He lives in San Diego, busying himself with his sailing and with participation in military and community organizations and affairs. He devotes much time to the churches of the area, where he frequently preaches and conducts mass. Chaplain Rotrige served the Navy well during his thirty- year career. We wish for him many years of continued usefulness and happiness. /~.::fM~+~ NEIL M. STEVENSON Rear Admiral, CHC, USN Chief of Chaplains iv This volume contains~the reminiscences of Henry Rotrige,re.fi~~·tingh:Lspersonal recollection at the time of the interview.. No attempt has been made to confirm the historicalaccu~acyof tbe . .- -. ~ - ". .. The reader is reminded thathe{~ read{ng a transcript of the spoken ° word. The interviewee has o. had the opportunity to ,'.<~":-<, . ", ;;~:,. make slight a:ddit.i<iri~ d~Tet{oris;.arid changes as desired, principally intl1e interest'o{accuracy;and. the editor has made minima B~tim:portanhrevis:Lon,la:rgely in the interest of clarity; .but no attempt has been made to arrive at a polished literary style. Edit.orlal notes are made in brackets. In this way also, when feasible, the first names and middle initials have been. supplied in first.. or sole instances where persons are mentioned by their last names· only. The Table of Contents and the Index are calculated to make the work more readily available to researchers whose interests may be limited. Copies of this interview will be deposited in several research locations: Naval Historical Center Operational Archives Branch Building 57 Washington Navy Yard Washington, DC 20374 v :' 'Oral His ifdirlg '58 ' /h~"Washirigt0l'l Navy ::'c~~i~"(~S;~:\~~~j:~I1~}~i%·f-,'. ..<~< ....., ,,",jf?c.·Chapl-aln'.Resource .Board -""6500Hampton Blvd.' ' . );:;;t:Norfolk, ,VA. 23508 ':::"~-'>';;~'~" . - • ,. e' , • '_, .', '~1:~~;iif~~:~~~;1!~0;;"~; """ ,,;;,~;':Na.Va,:L~ ECillsa.tionand,!ra,ining >····Newpoi-t!;'.. ·R~' 02841" .;~/, ... ,';~::.>;:,. '-','4-:".i-«(",''-'';:~'' ,.' .' ~-",-_,; :,:. '::).;f-.- .; .. -'r. '. _.;,.,. y'~~"~- ,':; :_.'. ::~,;:;;~~1,;~:~~_'::-:_,::.;'--<:;;~;:.:'/,~;;;: ~. .' ,,':"''-''I1~~ i:~:.c-'· ~" ,.;.£~5ii::gt~~E~~~j:§~~6;r·~:f::i,rg;;~ il~'ct.i ons" NimitZ.LibrarY. _ 'U.,s:~. Naval Academy ':';'.Anl'l~p()lis,:.' 2 .' :::..~i~.~~:t.~;·:g;:""'b'";r·;'.i af,.'..Yf:·:;i':0'''S·>,':.~~j-;;Itl'f,.~~';'..~?~:;\:7< ~:,'??'-..' ,_lJ;;/.~ ••. Naval·Ih~ti tute'" ArinapolJs,MD 21402 ;~1·c~iii.·t.iJ;··6rdinariate·(R'oman Catholic Church) 11 First Avenue >-"·I\r~·•.• York, New York 10022 in copyrights have been assigned to theChaplairl'C6rp~of'the Department of the Navy, acting on behalf of the United States of America. }~f~iliciral history will never supplant written history, it doe~:'ha."eits adva'ntages:(l) it presents the human element; (2 ) "it enlists' the contributions of many who would never write; (3 )'fi gets behind the scenes, telling the why and the how as weI when and the where; (4) it provides clues for additional research; and (5) it supplements other collection methods. vi be a seQral of these TCb H. WRENCE MARTIN Commander, CHC, USN Head, Chaplain Corps . History Branch Office of the Chief of Chaplains vii TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD • • • • .,. ii' Rear Admiral Neil ~. Stevenson Chief~ofChaplains U. ,5 ,Navy PREFACE. • v LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS. xiv / SUMMARY OF THE-LIFE' AND CAREER OF HENRY JOHN ROTRIGE xvi THE SERIES THUS . .~ . xviii SESSION ONE: SEPTEMBER INTRODUCTION: TOWARD THE NAVAL CHAPLAINCY 1 The History of the Chaplain Corps Should be Better Known--Birth and Parentage--The Influence of Monsignor Thomas Kennedy--The Influence of Two Maiden Aunts--The Influence of the Parochial School--St. Louis Preparatory Seminary--Kenrick Seminary and Ordination--St. Cecilia's Parish in South St. Louis--Christ the King Church--The Attack on Pearl Harbor and Its Influence Toward Patriotism--Cardinal Cody's Influence--on Choosing the Naval Chaplaincy INDOCTRINATION: CHAPLAINS SCHOOL AT NORFOLK (1942).. 10 Early Attitudes and Impressions--Clinton A. Neyman, Officer in Charge--Recollections Concerning the Curriculum--Relationships With Those of Different Faiths FIRST SHORE DUTY: NAVAL AIR STATION AND NAVAL AIR TECHNICAL TRAINING CENTER, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA (1942-43) .'.••••.•.••.••......• 12 The Strong Personality of Chaplain Maurice S. Sheehy--The Centrality of Worship--Adjustment to the Military--Comparison of the Two Assignments --Routine Duties as Chaplain--col1ateral Duties viii .... ..:..._ ..c :"'ss onal Deve/Pr 1 .Work ingWith YoungPeople-,.-:-Their Concerns~-:-The 'Importance of Ones First Assignment-~The . Evidence of Patriotism FIRST SEA DUTY: USS SANTEE (CVE 29) (1943-45) 23 Contact With Line Officers--The General Service --Attendance at Captain's Mast--Visiting the ..' .. Ship--Counseli ng-:-C()llatera1 Du ties-:-Deployme nt s . "';'-Comba t Experience' /.' .. HEADQUARTERS, FIRST NAVAL DISTRICT, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (1945) •....•.... 31 Demobilization--ThoughtsConcerning Naval Career STAFF, COMMANDER,"'SERVICE FORCE, U. S. PACIFIC FLEET (1945-47)". ..•. .•. ...... ••.•..... 32 Travels in' the Pacific--Appreciation for Chaplain Neyman--The News of the Surrender of Japan--More Thoughts About the Regular Navy--More About Travels--Divine Worship--the Use of Makalapa Chapel THE U. S. NAVAL ACADEMY (1947-51). • • . 42 Chaplain R6trige the First Roman Catholic Chaplai~ to Serve at the Academy--The Influence of Chaplain William N. Thomas in Securing a Catholic Chaplain--Reluctance of Some to Attend the Chapel Rather than St. Mary's Church--The Privilege of Worship Leadership At the Academy- the Blessed Sacrament Chapel--Weekday and Sunday Routine--Sports--Weddings--Membership Instruc tions--The Naval Academy Chapel and Chapels of Other Services--Design and Furnishings of the Academy Chapel--the Caliber of Midshipmen SESSION THREE: 15 SEPTEMBER 1981 HEADQUARTERS, FIRST NAVAL DISTRICT, BOSTON, MASSA CHUSETTS (1951) •.•.••.•••.•..••• 54 An Interim Responsibility--A Transient Population