Saving Big Ben: The USS Franklin and Father Joseph T. O'Callahan

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."