Posted on 03/05/2021 10:28:39 PM PST by Coronal
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Friday it has identified the remains of an army chaplain who was lauded by fellow soldiers for his selfless example in the Korean War, received the Medal of Honor and is being considered for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church.
Rev. Emil Kapaun, of Pilsen, Kansas, died of pneumonia on May 23, 1951, as a prisoner of war during the Korean War. An army chaplain in World War II and the Korean conflict, he was captured on Nov. 2, 1950, near Unsan, North Korea, as he helped wounded troops surrounded by Chinese forces.
Kapaun, who served in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, tended to the sick and wounded among the POWs, carrying men who had faltered on a forced march, according to his fellow soldiers. His indomitable spirit served as a rallying point for the other men in captivity, Bob Wood, a fellow prisoner of war, told NBC News in a 2013 report.
“He was the finest man I ever knew,” Wood said.
Mike Dowe, another former prisoner of war, said that Kapaun saved men who otherwise would have perished in captivity from cold and hunger. “A good number of those that survived, I’d say at least half of them, really owe their lives to Father Kapaun, me included,” Dowe told NBC News.
Kapaun was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2013, following a decades-long campaign by Korean War veterans from his unit.
According to the Medal of Honor citation, Kapaun “calmly walked through withering enemy fire” and hand-to-hand combat to provide medical help, words of comfort or prayers.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
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Reminds me of Tibor Rubin. If you have not read his story take it from me it is a great one. Amazing what a man can do when he figures he is already dead.
as almuni of Kapaun-Mt. Carmel High School. I find this to be wonderful news.
I lived next to Kapaun Kaserne near Ramstein Air Base in the 1970s. I assume it was named for him.
God bless him.
It was named for Father Kapaun.
He has been living the real, true, good life with God Almighty in heaven ever since. What a fine example of a man.
I’m not a Catholic but what a great man Father Kapaun was. I enjoyed the part of the link that worked and then went to WIKI to read all about the man. Just Awesome! Thanks for posting!
Pinging for Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Fr. Emil Kapaun’s remains have been identified. Rev. Emil Kapaun died of pneumonia on May 23, 1951, as a prisoner of war during the Korean War. He served as an Army chaplain during World War II and the Korean War.
I was stationed at Kapaun Barracks in 1975. Our office was the first USAF unit to go there. There was a plaque that told about the man that the site was named after.
RIP Fr. Kapaun.
Great remembrance for a chaplain. Great day for the Chaplain Corps.
“Pro Deo et Patria”
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