Father Joe O'Callahan, S.J. was the unlikeliest war hero. A bespectacled math professor from Holy Cross, he became the U.S. Navy's first Jesuit chaplain in World War II and served in combat operations in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Father O'Callahan was on the aircraft carrier Franklin, known as "Big Ben", in the Okinawa campaign in early 1945 when massive explosions and fire from a kamikaze bomb attack nearly destroyed his ship. Hundreds of sailors died within moments of the attack, and the Franklin, lay dead in the ...
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Father Joe O'Callahan, S.J. was the unlikeliest war hero. A bespectacled math professor from Holy Cross, he became the U.S. Navy's first Jesuit chaplain in World War II and served in combat operations in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Father O'Callahan was on the aircraft carrier Franklin, known as "Big Ben", in the Okinawa campaign in early 1945 when massive explosions and fire from a kamikaze bomb attack nearly destroyed his ship. Hundreds of sailors died within moments of the attack, and the Franklin, lay dead in the water, drifting toward Japan just 60 miles distant. As flames consumed the carrier, the chaplain organized and led fire-fighting crews and prevented a potentially fatal explosion while ministering to injured, dying and terrified sailors. Father O'Callahan's deeds were instrumental in saving the Franklin, and he stayed with the ship on its voyage under power to New York Harbor. The carrier's captain called him "the bravest man I ever saw," and Father Joe became the first American military chaplain to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest decoration for valor. But the price of glory was high for Father O'Callahan. He suffered a stroke after returning to Holy Cross and spent the rest of his life enduring incapacitating pain. Through it all, the priest displayed the same leadership and strength derived from unwavering faith that enabled him to help save his ship and comrades. The book incorporates primary sources, interviews with Franklin survivors and O'Callahan family members and other materials never before published, including documentation of the Navy's review of Father O'Callahan's recommendation of the Medal of Honor and the process leading to the priest's receipt of the decoration.
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Add this copy of Saving Big Ben: the Uss Franklin and Father Joseph T. O to cart. $11.53, very good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by US Naval Institute Press.
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Add this copy of Saving Big Ben: the Uss Franklin and Father Joseph T. O to cart. $12.42, good condition, Sold by GW Spokane Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Spokane, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by US Naval Institute Press.
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Condition: GOOD-Used with some wear from use. May include stickers on cover, missing or wear to dustcover, inside cover, spine, slight curled corners, stains, and wear to the fore edge. All orders ship via UPS Mail Innovations-can take up to 14 business days from first scan to be delivered.
Add this copy of Saving Big Ben: the Uss Franklin and Father Joseph T. O to cart. $13.92, good condition, Sold by Books For Life rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Laurel, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Naval Institute Press.
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Book is in good condition. Minimal signs of wear. It May have markings or highlights but kept to only a few pages. May not come with supplemental materials if applicable.
Add this copy of Saving Big Ben the Uss Franklin and Father Joseph T. O to cart. $37.50, very good condition, Sold by Austin Book Shop LLC rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Richmond Hill, NY, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Naval Institute Press.
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Very Good in Very Good jacket. 175pp Illus. with photos. Indexed. Heroic actions of Chaplain O'Callahan aboard the USS Franklin while under attack during World War II, were instrumental in saving the Franklin. (Loc 1122/1)
Add this copy of Saving Big Ben: the Uss Franklin and Father Joseph T. O to cart. $42.63, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2011 by Naval Institute Press.