Emil Joseph Kapaun was born to Enos and Elizabeth Kapaun
on April 20, 1916. The pious parents of Bohemian extract lived on
a farm three miles southwest of Pilsen, Kansas. The elements
found in their home, church and the parochial schools he
attended, clearly point to how this Kansas farm boy became an
idol, hero and saint to men of every creed and calling,
As a small boy, Emil often played priest at a homemade
altar. He would gather wild flowers to decorate it. Emil’s
desire to become a priest was known by his Pastor, Fr. Sklenar,
and it was through his care and help that Emil’s Catholic
education continued after his graduation from Pilsen High School
in May of 1930.
The early depression years saw Emil studying classical
and philosophy courses at Conception College, Conception,
Missouri, from where he was graduated in June of 1936. So it was
again that Emil’s Pastor, together with the Bishop, saw to
the substantial financial end of Emil’s studies at Kendrick
Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri, where he was ordained
in June of 1940.
Fr. Kapaun returned to his parish in Pilsen after
ordination and became assistant to Fr. Sklenar. He was also the
Auxiliary Chaplain at Herington Air Base nearby Pilsen. In
December of 1943, Fr. Kapaun was appointed Pastor to replace Fr.
Sklenar now 70 years plus who resigned. Because he was raised in
the parish for which he was now pastor, Fr. Kapaun felt that he
was in good conscience, a great moral obstacle to those friends
and relatives there who he thought were superior to himself both
in age and education. He therefore asked for and received
permission from his Bishop to volunteer for the Army and a
Chaplaincy. He was relieved of his pastorate at Pilsen in July of
1944.
Fr. Kapaun began his Soldiering for God at Camp
Wheeler, Georgia, in October of 1944. He and one other Chaplain
served some 19,000 service men and women. His stay there was a
brief one. His shipping orders were cut and he was sent to the
India - Burma Theater in April of 1945. There he would travel by
air and jeep over 2,000 miles to have Mass for the troops at the
Forward Areas. Fr. Kapaun noted in a letter to his Bishop how
happy he was and that his contact with the local Missionaries was
most edifying and uplifting, especially when seeing what
sacrifices they made to do their work. He felt a closeness with
God, working with the missionaries and the poor that they served.
The Chaplains, together with the troops, erected a church and
school for the Priests and Nuns. They also gave them financial
support.
Fr. Kapaun was promoted to Captain in January of 1946.
Thereafter many troops were returned stateside and Fr. Kapaun
returned in May of 1946.
After a short vacation, he was appointed temporary
administrator of St. John Church, Spearville, Kansas. The Bishop
wanted the Veteran Chaplains to get a degree in education to
qualify them as accredited teachers in their diocesan and public
high schools. The Bishop, upon Fr. Kapaun’s discharge from
the Army in July of 1946, approved his entrance into Catholic
University, Washington D.C.. He was graduated with an M.A. in
education in February of 1948.
In April of 1948, the Bishop appointed him pastor of
Timken, Kansas. Again, in good conscience and knowing the coming
crisis in Korea, he believed that he should offer himself for
work in the Armed Forces. So it was, that in September of 1948,
he re-enlisted in the Army. He resumed his Chaplaincy at Fort
Bliss, El Paso, Texas. Fr. Kapaun left his parents and Pilsen for
the last time in December of 1949.
He sailed for Yokohama, Japan, in January of 1950. He
was stationed near Mt. Fuji, Japan, until alerted into combat in
July of 1950. In July of 1950, Fr. Kapaun's unit, the 35th
Brigade from Ft. Bliss landed in South Korea during a big
invasion. He was constantly on the move northward until his
capture by Chinese Communists in November of 1950. His main
complaint was lack of sleep for several weeks at a time. He was
constantly administering to the dead and dying while performing
baptisms, hearing first confessions for Holy Communion and
celebrating Mass from an improvised altar set up on the front end
of an army jeep. He constantly would lose his Mass Kit, jeep and
trailer to enemy fire. He told how he was thoroughly convinced
that the prayers of many others were what had saved him so many
times up until his capture. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal
in September of 1950 just before his capture in November of 1950.
The following is a general narrative from the many
reports of Fr. Kapaun's ordeal as a prisoner of war given by many
repatriated American soldiers after their release from prison
camps. He was most remembered for his great humility, bravery,
his constancy, his love and kindness and solicitude for his
fellow prisoners. "He was their hero -- their admired and
beloved ‘padre’. He kept up the G.I.’s morale, and
most of all a lot of men to become good Catholics."
Reports received noted that Fr. Kapaun’s feet had
become badly frozen, but that he continued to administer to the
sick and wounded. He continuously went out under heavy mortar and
shelling to carry or pull into holes wounded and or dying
soldiers at personal risk of being captured or killed.
Many accounts were given as to the many creature
comforts he provided the many of his comrades of the 8th Cavalry
Regiment during imprisonment. They were both spiritual and
physical. He provided endless hours of prayer and what
nourishment he could find to all he could to keep them from
starving to death.
Fr. Kapaun, himself, weakened as months passed on. He
managed to lead Easter sunrise service. He was so weak that the
prison guards took him to the hospital. There he would die from
pneumonia on May 23, 1951. Fr. Kapaun received a citation for the
Distinguished Service Cross.
The given account of Fr. Kapaun’s life as told in
the story of Chaplain Kapaun (Patriot Priest of the Korean
Conflict) by Father Arthur Tonne. Fr. Tonne states that "In
a very definite sense, we are all beneficiaries from the life of
Fr Kapaun. He has left us a stirring example of devotion to duty.
He has passed on to us a spirit of tolerance and understanding.
He has given us a share of dauntless bravery -- of body and soul.
He has transmitted to every one of us a new appreciation of
America, and a keener, more realistic understanding of our
country’s greatest enemy -- godlessness, now stalking the
world in the form of Communism. He has bequeathed a picture of
Christ-like life. What Father Kapaun willed to us cannot be
contained in memorials, however costly or beautiful. It is a
treasure for the human soul -- the spirit of one who loved and
served God and man -- even unto death."