Eighty years ago this month, in one of the greatest maritime losses of World War II, the U.S. Army troopship Dorchester was hit at night in the North Atlantic by a Nazi torpedo. As it began to sink, four U.S. Army chaplains — a priest, a rabbi, and two Protestant ministers — helped give out life vests to the soldiers onboard, and when those ran out, gave up their own vests to those who had none, and together they went down with the ship.

When survivors told of what they’d seen, the Four Chaplains became national heroes. In hundreds of cities and towns across the country, memorials were dedicated to their memory. Memorials in the D.C. area include those at large venues — stained glass at the National Cathedral and at the Pentagon — and a small one: a stone plaque on the lawn of a post office off U.S. Route 50 near Salisbury, Maryland.

Our parents’ and grandparents’ generations knew all about the Four Chaplains, but today they are largely forgotten. In mentioning the Four Chaplains to friends, I haven’t found a single one who’s heard of them. On a recent Sunday afternoon, I stood near a Four Chaplains memorial in Riverside Park in New York City and watched as dozens of people walked by without a glance.

And that’s too bad. As American civil society continues to fracture, the Four Chaplains’ shared sacrifice has something uniquely important to tell us about how we might heal our country.

The Dorchester, struck near midnight on Feb. 3, 1943, sank in just 27 minutes. Six hundred seventy-two men lost their lives. Yet, 227 survived. In sworn affidavits to the U.S. Army , some later told what they had seen. “I saw the chaplains clearly standing at the rail of the transport minus their life jackets, urging me to leave the ship,” reported one survivor. Another, as he left the ship, said he saw the chaplains “with their hands clasped, praying for the boys.” Yet another recalled the chaplains “without life preservers kneeling on deck and praying for us.” The chaplains were posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart, and later a special Congressional Medal of Honor. A postage stamp was issued in their honor. The postmaster general predicted it would be “the most popular postage stamp ever issued.”

Their sacrifice, said President Harry Truman, “was the greatest sermon that ever was preached.”

It’s hard to grasp in our more secular age, but a key reason America celebrated the Four Chaplains was diversity . Though all white males, they were of different faiths and denominations: John Washington was a Catholic priest, Alexander Goode a rabbi, George Fox a Methodist minister, and Clark Poling a minister in the Reformed Church of America.

They had met earlier at a U.S. Army camp. On the Dorchester, they bunked together, ate together, and even organized a variety show together for the troops.

That the chaplains — despite their different beliefs — respected each other, were congenial, and acted together under great pressure in their final moments, struck the nation as extraordinary. In contrast to our enemy — a regime that envisioned a world based on prejudice and hate — the chaplains’ story was a huge morale boost and reminder of all that is best about American pluralism.

And it can be again.

Eighty years after their sacrifice, the Four Chaplains offer an antidote to the political and cultural divisiveness that endangers our country today. At a time when our news is filled with stories of liars, scam artists, and angry moralists demanding conformity of views, the Four Chaplains remind us of integrity, respect for others’ beliefs, and the power of self-sacrifice and public service.

Hundreds of beautiful memorials to the chaplains still stand in communities coast to coast. On this anniversary of their sacrifice, why not see if there’s one near you? As you visit, consider the heroism of four people of diverse beliefs who nevertheless respected each other and sacrificed together for the common good. Then let’s see if we can honor their legacy by looking past political and cultural differences and begin working together for the good of our country.

The Four Chaplains gave up their life vests for all of us; we should use them.

Peter Lovenheim is a journalist and author of In the Neighborhood and The Attachment Effect. He is at work on a book about the Four Chaplains. He splits his time between Washington, D.C. and his hometown of Rochester, NY, and can be reached at Peter.Lovenheim@gmail.com.