I had never heard of Fr. Emil Kapaun until I saw the documentary “Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey”. The film focuses on the healing journey of former Chaplain Justin Roberts trying to recover from combat PTSD. He learned of the return of the remains of Chaplain Kapaun to his home in Kansas and journeyed there to be a part of the funeral. The film includes stories of military chaplains past and present.
Some of these stories I knew. I had written a previous blog on the Four Immortal Chaplains (https://psycheandspirit.net/2022/04/01/heroes-the-four-immortal-chaplains/) When I was young I read I Was Chaplain on the Franklin, by and about Fr. Joseph Callahan. The film includes stories from and about chaplains current and past. But the film focuses on Father Kapaun and the return of his remains to Kansas.
Emil Kapaun was a Catholic priest from Kansas who served as an Army chaplain during WWII. As the Korean situation began to heat up, he reenlisted and was assigned to a unit headed to Japan then Korea. I was delighted to learn that he joined this unit at Ft. Bliss in El Paso TX. I too served at Ft. Bliss some years later but it is a connection with him that means a lot to me.
Fr. Kapaun served amidst fierce combat and consistently put himself in the line of fire to rescue a wounded soldier or to administer the Last Rites. The picture above shows him reading Mass from the hood of an Army jeep. He was fired at many times and this picture below shows him proudly displaying his pipe which was shot and broken.
As his unit was being ordered to retreat, Fr. Kapaun stayed behind to minister to the wounded and thus became a prisoner of war.
Fellow prisoners who survived these times of horror, torture, and stravation all attributed the enduring faith of Fr. Kapaun as main factor in their survival. Several owed their lives to him including SFC Herbert Miller. Fr. Kapaun’s rescue of SFC Miller earned him the posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor. His actions were described by President Obama: ” Chaplain Kapaun, with complete disregard for his personal safety, bravely pushed aside an enemy soldier preparing to execute Sergeant First Class Herbert A. Miller”
If one reads a book such as No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun it is replete with stories of his tireless ministry. One of my favorite stories about him told of how he would sneak out at night to try to steal some extra grain to feed the starving soldiers. Just before going on his mission of theft, he would pray to St. Dismas for help. Dismas is better known as the Good Thief. Dismas is my favorite saint.
When Fr. Kapaun died in the POW camp, his remains were to be dumped into a mass grave. They were not. A group of soldiers buried him in a small single grave. That led the way, some years later, to his remains being identified and returned to Kansas.
Last year Pope Francis named Father Kapaun Venerable which is the second of four steps to naming him a saint.
In my own twisted spiritual journey, I now see that I need to be surrounded by people of deep faith. I have been blessed with such people, some through personal relationships others through reading their work. Thus, to the group of angels of faith in my life, I am grateful to add Father Emil Kapaun.
Here is a preview of Fighting Spirit. It is worth your time
