George L. Fox was born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania in 1900. At 17 he ran away and joined the Army and served on the Western front during WWI, as a medical orderly. He recieved the Silver Star, Purple Heart and the Croix de Guerre for his meritorious servie.1917-1918.After the war he completed high school, while briefly working for a Trust company. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute and Illinois Wesleyan University in theology.
Fox became a Methodist minister 1934.
In 1934 he presided as pastor of Waits River, VT Methodist Church.
He was the Department Chaplain and Department Historian for Vermont.
1942 Fox joined the Army again, on the same day his son joined the Marine Corps. George attended Harvard Universities Chaplains school. There he met fellow chaplains: Alexander D. Goode, Clark V. Poling and John P. Washington.
January 1943 he departed with 900 soldiers on the USS Dorchester. Shortly after midnight 2/2/43 a German Submarine U-223 spotted the convoy and fired a torpedo which struck the Dorchester. Hundreds of men packed the decks of the rapidly sinking ship and scrambled for lifeboats. Several of the lifeboats had been damaged and the Four Chaplains help organize the passengers. They distributed jackets from a locker; when the supply of life jackets ran out, each of the chaplains gave theirs to soldiers. When the last lifeboat were away, the chaplains prayed with those unable to escape the sinking ship. 27 minutes after the torpedo hit the Dorchester sunk with 672 men still on board. The last anyone saw of the four chaplains, they were standing on the deck, arms linked and praying together.
George L. Fox was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart and received, with his fellow chaplains National acclaim for bravery.
The Four Chaplains Medal was established by act of Congress on July 14, 1960.
