President Obama Tomorrow to Award Medal of Honor Posthumously to Korean War Hero Father Emil J. Kapaun

Catholic U.S. Army Chaplain to be honored in White House

Father Emil J. Kapaun
Father Emil J. Kapaun

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Tomorrow, April 11, President Barack Obama will award the Catholic priest, U.S. Army Chaplain and Korean War hero, the late Father Captain Emil J. Kapaun, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry, the nation’s highest military honor. Chaplain Kapaun will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for his extraordinary heroism while serving with the 3rdBattalion, 8thCavalry Regiment, 1stCavalry Division in combat operations against Chinese communists at Unsan, Korea and as a prisoner of war from November 2, 1950 until his death on May 23, 1951.
Meanwhile, a special screening of a film documentary about the hero Chaplain, THE MIRACLE OF FATHER KAPAUN, will be held tonight at 6:45 P.M. (EDT) at the Catholic Information Center, 1501 K Street NW, Washington, D.C. Admission is free.

When the Chinese viciously attacked his unit at Unsan, Father Kapaun moved fearlessly from foxhole to foxhole under direct enemy fire, providing comfort and first aid to his outnumbered comrades. As the surrounding enemy closed in, U.S. officers ordered an evacuation, but Chaplain Kapaun elected to stay behind with the wounded, fully aware of his certain capture. He repeatedly crawled to the wounded, dragging some to safety and digging shallow trenches for others to shield them from enemy fire.

As enemy forces approached the American position and hand-to-hand combat ensued, Father Kapaun noticed a wounded Chinese officer. He convinced him to negotiate the safe surrender of the American forces. Shortly after his capture, Chaplain Kapaun bravely pushed aside an enemy soldier preparing to execute a comrade, thus saving a life and inspiring others. Following their capture, Father Kapaun and his fellow prisoners marched for several days northward toward prisoner-of-war camps. He refused to take a break from carrying stretchers for the wounded while encouraging others to do their part.

In 1993, the Catholic Church formally initiated his cause for sainthood and upon approval from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Father Kapaun was designated a Servant of God. His home diocese of Wichita, Kansas serves as Postulator of the Cause. The Diocese of Wichita and the Archdiocese for the Military Services (AMS) have received reports of miracles involving Father Kapaun, including accounts by some of his fellow prisoners of war. Father John Hotze, judicial vicar of the Diocese of Wichita, is gathering information to determine what if any miracles can be attributed to Father Kapaun that would indicate that he should be beatified. Father Kapaun is also being considered for possible designation as a martyr for the faith, which would allow him to be beatified without performing a miracle.

His Excellency, the Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, J.C.D., Archbishop for the Military Services, welcomed the official announcement of the Medal of Honor award.

Archbishop Broglio said:

“The recognition of the selfless sacrifice by this good priest, who was truly a good shepherd to his men, regardless of their religious convictions gives witness to the finest traditions of the military chaplaincy and the Catholic priesthood. The Armed Forces of our Nation firmly attest to the Judeo-Christian roots of the national ethos. Each person has unalienable rights and inestimable value, because he or she is created in the image and likeness of God. Father Kapaun lived and died in service to that fundamental truth. I rejoice that it is recognized, even sixty-two years after his death.”

Father Hotze said:

“Many people have been working toward this day for years. The first of those to undertake the mission of seeking this award for Chaplain Kapaun were Chaplain Kapaun’s fellow prisoners of war. In 1953, upon their release from Prison Camp No.5, in North Korea, those whose lives had been touched by Chaplain Kapaun began to tell his story. They told of Chaplain Kapaun working tirelessly so that his fellow captives might have food, clean water and clean clothes. They told of Chaplain Kapaun instilling hope in his fellow captives so that they might hold on to that will to live, to survive and to eventually return home. They tell of Chaplain Kapaun’s selfless gift of his own life as he fell sick and was eventually taken to the “Death House” by their captors. Sixty years later, we applaud the efforts of these men as their goal has been reached, that of Chaplain Kapaun now being recognized as the great man, soldier and Chaplain that he was.”

Father Kapaun’s nephew, Ray Kapaun, and family will join President Obama at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service and sacrifice.

-30-

————

About the Medal of Honor:


The Medal of Honor is awarded to a member of the Armed Forces who distinguishes themselves conspicuously by gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while:

  • engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States;
  • engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force;
  • serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

The meritorious conduct must involve great personal bravery or self-sacrifice so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the individual above his or her comrades and must have involved risk of life. There must be incontestable proof of the performance of the meritorious conduct, and each recommendation for the award must be considered on the standard of extraordinary merit.

 About the AMS:

The AMS was created as an independent archdiocese by Pope John Paul II in 1985 as the only Catholic jurisdiction responsible for endorsing and granting faculties for priests to serve as chaplains in the U.S. military and VA Medical Centers.

AMS-endorsed priests serve at more than 220 U.S. military installations in 29 countries, making the AMS the nation’s only global archdiocese. AMS-endorsed chaplains also serve at 153 VA Medical Centers throughout the U.S.

The AMS service population also includes American Catholic civilians working for the federal government in 134 countries, but currently, due to limited resources, the AMS cannot adequately serve this population.

Worldwide, an estimated 1.8 million Catholics depend on the AMS to meet their spiritual and sacramental needs.

For more information on the Archdiocese for the Military Services, visit www.milarch.org, the only official Web site for Catholics in the military and for the Cause of Father Vincent Capodanno, M.M.

Search Our Site

Archbishop

Who We Are

Offices

News & Events

Forms

Subscribe

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.