Hello, and peace to you today. This is CH (MAJ) Patty Jenkins with the 63d Readiness Division.
The remains of Chaplain Emil Kapaun were recently identified and accounted for in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Honolulu, Hawaii, through Phase Two of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s Korean War Disinterment Project.
As part of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, Kapaun’s remains were among the 1,868 who were returned to U.S. custody, but they were not able to be identified. Kapaun’s remains had rested among the 867 buried as "Unknowns" at the NMCP.
Kapaun served as a chaplain in the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during the Korean War. Their first engagement with enemy forces took place at the Battle of Unsan, on November 1–2, 1950. Nearly 20,000 Chinese soldiers attacked Kapaun's Regiment. Despite pleas for him to escape, the chaplain stayed behind with the 800 men of the 3rd Battalion as the rest of the regiment retreated. During the battle, he braved enemy fire and rescued nearly 40 men. The Chinese continued to overwhelm the American troops. He and other members of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment taken prisoner were marched 87 miles to a temporary prison camp at Sombakol near the permanent camp (Prison Camp 5) at Pyoktong, North Korea, where they were later held. (Wikipedia)
Throughout the months of fighting and imprisonment, Kapaun gained a reputation for bravely serving the troops, rescuing the wounded and dead, and ministering to the living by performing baptisms, hearing confessions, offering Holy Communion and celebrating Mass on an improvised altar set up on the front end of a Jeep. Several times his Mass kit, Jeep and trailer were destroyed by enemy fire. In letters home, he shared that he was thoroughly convinced that others' prayers helped him survive. (Wikipedia)
Even after he became gravely ill, Kapaun continued to serve as a spiritual leader for his fellow prisoners, encouraging them to faithfully await their release and regularly defying his captors to bolster the collective morale of the POWs. Due to prolonged malnutrition, he died on May 23, 1951, after which the other POWs buried him in one of the camp's cemeteries.
At a White House ceremony on April 11, 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Kapaun the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism and selflessness. He is the ninth American military chaplain Medal of Honor recipient.
“The foundational phrase from the Declaration of Independence says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” But the original draft said, “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable.” Sacred, because these truths transcend petty partisanship and selfish ambitions, pointing us toward our brighter ideals.” (Anchorage Daily News, July 3, 2019)
CH Kapaun lived transcendent, sacred truths—not because he was religious but because he upheld his values and those of the Army in the very worst of circumstances. CH Kapaun, and others like him, point us toward our “brighter ideals.” May those who have gone before us in sacred service and honor be a light that beckons us onward in, whatever our circumstances this day.
Here is the direct email and phone number for anyone requesting support from the 63d RD Chaplain office,
usarmy.usarc.63-rsc.list.chaplain-all-users@mail.mil
650-526-9668