Combat Chaplain: The Personal Story of the WWII Chaplain of the Japanese American 100th Battalion

by Israel A.S. Yost, Monica Elizabeth Yost (Editor), Michael Markrich (Editor)

In October 1943, twenty-seven-year-old combat infantry chaplain Israel Yost arrived in Italy with the 100th Battalion, a little-known National Guard unit of mostly Japanese Americans from Hawai'i. Yost was apprehensive when he learned of his assignment to this unusual unit composed of soldiers with whom he felt he had little in common and who were mostly Buddhists. But this would soon change.

For the next nineteen months at the front--from Salerno to Monte Cassino to Anzio to Bruyeres--Yost assisted medics, retrieved bodies from the battlefield, buried enemy soldiers, struggled to bolster morale as the number of casualties rose higher and higher, and wrote countless letters of condolence, all in addition to fulfilling his ministerial duties, which included preaching in the foxholes. Although his sermons won few converts, Yost's tireless energy and concern for others earned him admiration from his fellow soldiers, who often turned to him as a trusted friend and spiritual advisor.

Forty years after the war had ended, with the help of his field diaries and the letters he had written almost daily to his wife, Yost wrote of his wartime experiences in the hopes that they might one day be published as a record of the remarkable character and accomplishments of the 100th. Combat Chaplain presents this heartfelt memoir intact. with the addition of photographs and subsequent letters and speeches by Yost and other veterans.

328 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Brittany J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chaplain Yost wrote a wonderful work that not only seeks to share his story and experience but that of an entire battalion.

[Gerald Kinro · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1943, Israel Yost, a twenty seven year old pastor from rural Pennsylvania arrived in Italy to become the chaplain of the 100th Infantry Battalion. During the height of anti-Japanese hysteria, he was to serve in a unit comprised primarily of Japanese-American soldiers from Hawaii. Together he and his fellow soldiers participated in some of World War II’s bloodiest campaigns: Salerno, Monte Casino, Anzio, and Bruyeres. Through it all, Yost adapted and worked alongside his fellow comrades. Besides being a chaplain, Yost assisted medics, retrieved bodies, became a spiritual advisor, and most-important, became a friend.

This was a very good read. He speaks of his relationships with various battalion members, some of whom would rise and become prominent leaders in the State of Hawaii. Throughout the book, I was most impressed by the maturity of Israel Yost. His attitude and actions for a man of twenty seven are no less than remarkable.