A few months ago Tom Cairns wrote a fascinating post at the national EFCA blog about Arnold Olson who was a military chaplain who would go on to become the second president of the EFCA. Olson was on the SS Leopoldville which was torpedoed by a German U-Boat off the coast of France in World War II.

“Books can not be killed by fire. People die, but books never die. No man and no force can abolish memory. No man and no force can put thought in a concentration camp forever.”

Franklin Delano Roosevelt May 6, 1942 

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

German U-Boat 505 in the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago, Illinois. 

Over at the EFCA blog a few months back Tom Cairns wrote a fascinating blog post about Arnold Olson who became the second president of the EFCA and served from 1951 until 1976. The EFCA, from what I have read, was greatly modernized under his leadership. Arnold Olson served as a military chaplain in World War II. One of the worst disasters in World War II involved the sinking of the SS Leopoldville on December 24, 1944 a few miles from Cherburg, France. The Battle of the Bulge, which was Germany’s last major offensive effort to halt the Allies from advancing in Europe began eight days prior. The Leopoldville which was carrying troops to support the effort at Bastogne took a hit from a torpedo fired from a German U-Boat.  The sinking of the Leopoldville was kept from the American public during an era of censorship. 

Tom Cairns wrote a neat blog post about Arnold Olson and him being aboard the sinking of the Leopoldville. If you are someone who deeply appreciates history I would recommend giving this a read. You can access the post at, “EFCA History: December 24, 1944.”