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For almost a
century,
The Knights of Columbus, the world’s largest Roman
Catholic fraternal service organization with over
1.8 million members, has walked hand in hand with
the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.
Since before World War I, the Knights have provided
for the spiritual and temporal well being of our
servicemen and women, and that work has continued
into the twenty-first century. Beginning in 1916
during the Mexican campaign commanded by General
John J. Pershing, the Knights established recreation
centers where the Knights could attend to both the
physical and spiritual needs of the enlisted men.
The program was
so successful that it was greatly expanded in World
War I with the “hut program.” The motto of these
huts was “Everyone welcome. Everything free.” The
Knights — first at home and later abroad as well —
established huts near the front, at or near military
bases and in cities frequented by our soldiers and
sailors. In November 1917, General Pershing signed
General Order No. 63 allowing the Knights to provide
services to the men in Europe. The Order also
provided Knights of Columbus chaplains to supplement
the work of the military’s Catholic chaplains in
ministering to the spiritual needs of the
servicemen. The huts served all branches of the
military and were places that provided recreation
and freely dispensed “personal items” to the members
of the A.E.F. The Knights also used the huts to
provide entertainment in a manner later emulated by
the USO. In addition to establishing the huts, the
Knights of Columbus raised more than $14,000,000 (in
1917 dollars) in the United States for war relief.
The work for our troops did not end there. Following
the war, the Knights established both a tuition-free
education program for veterans and a job bank that
placed more than 300,000 veterans with employers
throughout the country.
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During World War II, the United Service
Organizations – with which the Knights of Columbus
represented the Catholic Church – largely provided
for the entertainment of US troops. In addition to
working with the USO, Knights in the Philippines ran
a program very similar to the World War I hut
program for American servicemen before the fall of
Manila and again after its liberation. During the
war years, the Knights were led by Francis P.
Matthews, who later became Secretary of the Navy
under President Harry Truman. Under Matthew’s
leadership in 1944, the Knights also established the
Francis P. Matthews and John E. Swift Educational
Trust Scholarships, which provide full tuition
scholarships to any Catholic college for the child
or children of a member of the Knights killed in the
line of duty during a conflict. This program has
been open to the children of members killed in World
War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Beirut, the Persian Gulf
War, and the current war on terror in Iraq and
Afghanistan. To date, 789 children have been
eligible for these scholarships, 270 have completed
their education through this program, and several
others are currently studying. The first recipient
of this scholarship was Paul X. Kelley, later
General P.X. Kelley, Commandant of the Marine Corps.
In the twenty-first century, the Knights of Columbus
continues its proud tradition of service to the men
and women of the armed forces through its
scholarship program and several other programs for
the military. More than $500,000 was raised by the
Order’s Fourth Degree members for the World War II
Memorial in Washington, D.C. Of particular note,
since 2003 nearly 300,000 Catholic prayer books,
titled Armed with the Faith and printed on rugged
paper to withstand the rigors of combat, have been
distributed to members of the armed forces. Another
100,000 will soon be printed, along with 50,000
copies of a Spanish version. The concept for this
prayer book originated with an individual Knight and
Air Force veteran, and was developed in conjunction
with the Archdiocese for the Military Services,
USA. All costs for this program, including printing
and distribution, have been borne by the Knights of
Columbus.
In 2005 the Order pledged $1
million in support of a new program for the
catechesis and spiritual support of young
servicepersons, sponsored by the Archdiocese for the
Military Services, USA. The Knights of Columbus is
also supporting the Military Archdiocese in
purchasing and refurbishing a building in
Washington, D.C., that will house the headquarters,
offices and residence of one of this nation’s
largest ecclesiastical endorsers. Some of the
financial support for the project ($1.1 million)
will come from earnings produced by the Knights’
Military Vicariate Fund, established in 1985. The
Order's Church Loan program will provide another $3
million.
The Knights of Columbus is
founded on four principles: charity, unity,
fraternity and patriotism.
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