Emil Kapaun was born on April 20, 1916, in Pilsen, Kansas. He graduated from Conception Abbey seminary college in Conception, Missouri, in June 1936, and from Kenrick Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1940. Father Kapaun was ordained a Catholic Priest on June 9, 1940, and he was appointed an Auxiliary Chaplain at Herington Army Airfield, Kansas, in December 1943. He was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army on August 9, 1944, and attended Chaplains School at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, from August to October 1944. His first assignment was as a Chaplain with the 4th Service Command at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, from October 1944 to March 1945, followed by service as Assistant Chaplain with the Northern Combat Area Command in the India-Burma Theater of Operations from March to September 1945. Chaplain Kapaun remained in Theater and served as Chaplain for the 198th Ordnance Battalion from September to November 1945, and then Chaplain at Headquarters American Delhi Military Area Command in India from November 1945 to April 1946. He returned to the United States in May 1946, and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army at Fort Douglas, Utah, on July 25, 1946. Capt Kapaun remained in the U.S. Army Reserve, and went on active duty as a student officer at the Chaplains School at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, from May 30 to July 4, 1947, followed by service in the Army Reserve until he again went on active duty beginning on November 15, 1948. His next assignment was as Chaplain with the Station Command at Fort Bliss, Texas, from November 1948 to March 1949, followed by service as Chaplain with the 75th Anti-Aircraft Gun Battalion at Fort Bliss from March to October 1949. He then served as Chaplain with the 35th Anti-Aircraft Brigade at Fort Bliss from October 1949 to January 1950, and then deployed to Japan in January, where he served with Headquarters 8th Army from January to February 1950. Captain Kapaun was assigned as Chaplain to Headquarters Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division in Japan from March to June 1950, and then deployed to Korea at the beginning of the Korean War on June 30, 1950. He was serving in combat with 3rd Battalion of the 8th Cavalry Regiment when he was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War on November 2, 1950, during an action for which he would later be awarded the Medal of Honor. Capt Kapaun died in captivity in North Korea on May 23, 1951, and his remains were included among the 1,868 that were returned to the United States in 1954. His unidentified remains were originally buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1956, and on March 4, 2021, it was confirmed that his remains had been identified. Chaplain Kapaun was entombed inside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita, Kansas, on September 29, 2021. He was originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism during the battle on November 1-2, 1950, and this was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2013. Pope John Paul II named Emil Kapaun a Servant of God in 1993, the Vatican's first step toward possible canonization as a Saint.
His Medal of Honor Citation reads:
Chaplain Emil J. KAPAUN distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during combat operations against an armed enemy at Unsan, Korea, from November 1–2, 1950. On November 1, as Chinese Communist Forces viciously attacked friendly elements, Chaplain KAPAUN calmly walked through withering enemy fire in order to provide comfort and medical aid to his comrades and rescue friendly wounded from no-man's land. Though the Americans successfully repelled the assault, they found themselves surrounded by the enemy. Facing annihilation, the able-bodied men were ordered to evacuate. However, Chaplain KAPAUN, fully aware of his certain capture, elected to stay behind with the wounded. After the enemy succeeded in breaking through the defense in the early morning hours of November 2, Chaplain KAPAUN continually made rounds, as hand-to-hand combat ensued. As Chinese Communist Forces approached the American position, Chaplain KAPAUN noticed an injured Chinese officer among the wounded and convinced him to negotiate the safe surrender of the American Forces. Shortly after his capture, Chaplain KAPAUN, with complete disregard for his personal safety and unwavering resolve, bravely pushed aside an enemy soldier preparing to execute Sergeant First Class Herbert A. Miller. Not only did Chaplain KAPAUN'S gallantry save the life of Sergeant Miller, but also his unparalleled courage and leadership inspired all those present, including those who might have otherwise fled in panic, to remain and fight the enemy until captured. Chaplain KAPAUN'S extraordinary heroism and selflessness, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, the 1st Cavalry Division, and the United States Army.
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