Sunday, May 6, 2012

Father Kapaun

Warrior and priest.
When American officers ordered the able-bodied to retreat, Father Kapaun, a 35-year-old captain, refused to leave the wounded. As the Chinese soldiers began lobbing grenades into the dugout, Kapaun negotiated a surrender.

"Father Kapaun had several chances to get out," Warrant Officer John Funston later told a Catholic priest who collected accounts of Father Kapaun's actions in Korea, "but he wouldn't take them."

His capture and forced march northward with hundreds of other American prisoners was merely the beginning of Father Kapaun's trial, an ordeal that ended in his death from starvation, cold and lack of basic medical care at a prison camp in North Korea six months later. For his heroism, a group of Kansas politicians is pushing to have him awarded the Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration. Reports of Kapaun's selfless bravery have got him shortlisted for another rare high honour: the Catholic Church has named Kapaun Servant of God, the first step toward sainthood, and the Vatican has opened a formal inquiry into whether he merits canonisation. (Read entire article.)
Share

2 comments:

julygirl said...

Most certainly an heroic act of personal sacrifice for his fellow men in God's name!

Wendy Haught said...

I read a book about Fr. Kapaun a few years ago. Thanks for posting this article. I was glad to get reacquainted with his story.