Captain Emil J. Kapaun, a Catholic priest who was declared a Servant of God in 1993, will be awarded a posthumous Medal of Honor at the White House on April 11 for his heroic service during the Korean War.
The Daily Mail is reporting that Fr. Kapaun was serving as an Army chaplain during the Korean war when he exhibited “extraordinary heroism” while serving with the 3d Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during a battle with communist forces in 1950.
According to documents, Fr. Kapaun stayed behind to help the wounded even though he knew he would be captured.
“As Chinese Communist forces encircled [3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry during the battle of Unsan], Kapaun moved fearlessly from foxhole to foxhole under enemy direct fire in order to provide comfort and reassurance to the outnumbered soldiers.
“When the Chinese commandos attacked the battalion command post, Kapaun and other members of the headquarters withdrew 500 meters across a nearby river, but Kapaun returned to help the wounded, gathering approximately 30 injured men into the relative protection of a Korean dugout.”
During the incident, “Kapaun rejected several chances to escape, instead volunteering to stay behind and care for the wounded,” the document states.
But the Church is already very much aware of the extraordinary chaplain who died in a North Korean prison camp at the age of 35.
Born on a farm in the Flint Hills of Kansas, Fr. Kapaun was ordained for the Diocese of Wichita in 1940 and served as an Army Chaplain in World War II. In 1948, he reinlisted and was shipped off to the Korean war where he quickly distinguished himself for his heroic behavior on the battlefield. He would insist upon saying Mass for soldiers on the front lines even while shells were exploding only a hundred yards away. He was known to carry a rusty old carbine that most believed he never once fired while climbing from foxhole to foxhole offering water and prayers to soldiers – a routine he called “vespers.”
His greatest test of faith came on Nov. 2, 1950 when he was captured by North Korean and Communist Chinese forces. Forced on a two-month long march, he carried a fellow captive the entire way; refusing to put him down for fear the enemy would kill him. Once inside the prison camp, they were subjected to brutal conditions of sub-zero temperatures and scanty food rations. He soon became known as the “the Good Thief,” for his frequent forays in the night looking for food scraps. Little of what he gathered went into his own stomach, however. Survivors say he hastened his own death by giving away his clothing and food, which weakened his resistance to the pneumonia that would finally kill him.
The deplorable conditions finally took their toll and by 1951, Fr. Kapaun’s health began to deteriorate rapidly. During these last days, survivors say his capacity to forgive reached an extraordinary degree.
For instance, when two soldiers were tortured into falsely accusing him of wrong-doing, he quickly forgave them and admonished, “You never should have suffered for a moment trying to protect me.” In the end, the Chinese cut off all medical care and deprived the dying chaplain of food. Just before they carried him away to the prison hospital, known as the “death house,” Fr. Kapaun was heard whispering the Gospel passage, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” Two days later, on May 23, 1951, Fr. Kapaun died, and was buried in a mass grave on the Yalu River.
Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, former Archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Military Service (now serving as Archbishop of Baltimore) called for Fr. Kapaun to receive the title of Servant of God in 1993, and his cause has been progressing steadily ever since.
Prayer for Fr. Kapaun’s canonization:
Lord Jesus, in the midst of the folly of war, your servant, Chaplain Emil Kapaun spent himself in total service to you on the battlefields and in the prison camps of Korea, until his death at the hands of his captors.
We now ask you, Lord Jesus, if it be your will, to make known to all the world the holiness of Chaplain Kapaun and the glory of his complete sacrifice for you by signs of miracles and peace.
In your name, Lord, we ask, for you are the source of peace, the strength of our service to others, and our final hope. Amen
Chaplain Kapaun, pray for us.
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