the privilege of having clergy commissioned as Navy chaplains. By 1918, an
analysis of the denominational affiliations of Navy chaplains who had
served in World War I showed evidence of an ever-increasing number of
American church bodies being represented within the Navy Chaplain Corps
(figure 2-2). At the close of World War II with the surrender of Japan on
15 August 1945, representation of American faith groups within the Navy
Chaplain Corps had increased further still (figure 2-3). Today, religious
Figure 2-3.—Ecclesiastical Composition of the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps on 15 August 1945
at the close of World War II.
2-3
