The Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military award, is bestowed on the bravest of the brave. 

There is no question that U.S. Army Chaplain (Capt.) Emil Kapaun of Pilsen, Kansas, more than deserved this honor for his service and ultimate sacrifice during the Korean War. On Thursday, April 11, 2013, on a perfect spring day in our nation’s capital, his nephew Ray Kapaun accepted the posthumous Medal of Honor from a grateful nation.

The setting for the ceremony at the White House, with cherry blossoms trees in full bloom, the President, the Kapaun family and veterans who served alongside the Father was in stark contrast to the circumstances facing our soldiers in Korea in 1950.

Father Kapaun was born in Pilsen, Kansas in 1916 and served as a Catholic priest before volunteering for the Army. He served during World War II and then again for the Korean War where he was chaplain of the 8^th Cavalry Regiment of the First Army Division. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in the Battle of Unsan, where he was taken prisoner and fellow soldiers say he saved hundreds if not thousands of lives on the battlefield and in prison camps. He escaped to steal food from nearby farms to bring back to starving prisoners, and cared for the sick and injured. He died as a prisoner in May 1951 after enduring illness, torture and terrible conditions.

It is hard to share the many, many accounts of Father Kapaun’s valor, grace, kindness, courage and devotion under these most difficult conditions.  Many of the POWs who served with him refer to him as the most extraordinary man they will ever know.

Thankfully, due to Father Kapaun’s protection and through his actions and inspiration, his story lives on in the hearts and minds of these soldiers, his “boys,” who survived three years of that prison camp all those years ago.

April 11, 2013 was a day for them. As the President said, “Many are now in their 80s, but make no mistake, they are among the strongest men that America has ever produced.”

Their recollections are incredibly moving:

There was Mike Dowe, who spoke of Father Kapaun’s fearlessness in the face of enemy fire, and his devotion to the mental and physical wellbeing of his soldiers;

There was Herbert Miller, the soldier Father Kapaun saved by pushing aside a Chinese soldier’s weapon and whom the Father carried for several miles on his back;

There was Robert Wood who spoke of Father Kapaun’s faith, civility and principled stance in the face of brainwashing. He would hold mass and openly pray despite the eminent torture he would receive from his captors.

And these recollections are just a very, very few of the reams of data compiled by three men who deserve our thanks: Father John Hotze of the Wichita Diocese who is working on the investigation of the case for Father Kapaun’s sainthood, Lt. Col. (retired) William Latham who collected the stories of POW’s to make the case for the Medal of Honor  and finally, Roy Wenzl of the Wichita Eagle for bringing all of this work and the story to light.

And finally, thanks to Congressman Mike Pompeo and Senator Jerry Moran for being part of the team with me that made the award possible by getting legislation passed to waive time limit rules on a posthumous Medal of Honor award for Father Kapaun. This action ensured that Father Kapaun’s bravery and inspiration lives on in Kansas, and now will forever have a place of honor in the history of our nation.

60 plus years was far too long to properly honor Father Kapaun. If you aren’t familiar with the story of his life, don’t wait. Look him up. Learn about the so-called “forgotten war,” and maybe, we can honor these veterans by removing that unfortunate description of their service and sacrifice in the mountains of Korea.

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