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The Story of Chaplain Kapaun, Patriot Priest of the Korean Conflict
Emil Joseph Kapaun (1916–1951) was a Roman Catholic priest and United States Army captain who served as a United States Army chaplain during World War II and the Korean War. Kapaun was a chaplain in the Burma Theater of World War II, then served again as a chaplain with the U.S. Army in Korea, where he was captured. He died in a prisoner of war camp. In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared him a Servant of God, the first stage on the path to canonization. In 2013, Kapaun posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Korea. He is the ninth American military chaplain Medal of Honor recipient.
128 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 30, 2021
This book is about one of the better known soldiers of the Korean War. The more I learn about this admirable man the more I admire him. Armed with his faith Father Kapaun led an exemplary life. This book gives some of the best and few details about combat and the prisoner of war experience of the Korean War.
October 8, 2021
Fr. Tonne does a masterful job of telling Fr. Kapaun's story, weaving in personal accounts of his holiness and heroism throughout. I particularly enjoyed the letters from Fr. Kapaun himself printed in the first half of the book. Great read for anyone new to Fr. Kapaun's story!
March 4, 2017
What a Hero
The life of a man is hard to sum up into mere words, especially a man such as Fr. Kapaun. The stories in this book do a wonderful job of expressing the character and quality of him. Consistency is something we see, consistently faithful, thinking of others, devoted to God and his fellow man. There were times reading this that I couldn't keep from crying. There is some repetition due to compilation of accounts. This didn't bother me, though. I do wish there had been pictures, but they were easy enough to find online. While Catholics will best be able to appreciate this, non-Catholics will also find his story inspiring. He certainly is deserving of sainthood. I loved this story and recommend it wholeheartedly.
The life of a man is hard to sum up into mere words, especially a man such as Fr. Kapaun. The stories in this book do a wonderful job of expressing the character and quality of him. Consistency is something we see, consistently faithful, thinking of others, devoted to God and his fellow man. There were times reading this that I couldn't keep from crying. There is some repetition due to compilation of accounts. This didn't bother me, though. I do wish there had been pictures, but they were easy enough to find online. While Catholics will best be able to appreciate this, non-Catholics will also find his story inspiring. He certainly is deserving of sainthood. I loved this story and recommend it wholeheartedly.
December 5, 2019
Good Biography
The history of Fr Kapaun was introduced to me by a Benedictine sister when discussing the role of religion and the military. There are a few biographical works on him, and this is a decent one. Relying heavily on correspondence and transcripts - and using them directly and liberally, it is less enjoyable or easy to read than a few of the other bios that are more traditional telling of the life experience in a narrative. Still a good read about a true saint and amazing military chaplain.
The history of Fr Kapaun was introduced to me by a Benedictine sister when discussing the role of religion and the military. There are a few biographical works on him, and this is a decent one. Relying heavily on correspondence and transcripts - and using them directly and liberally, it is less enjoyable or easy to read than a few of the other bios that are more traditional telling of the life experience in a narrative. Still a good read about a true saint and amazing military chaplain.
September 15, 2023
While reading this biography I realized that Father Emile Kapaun studied at Kenrick Seminary in St Louis when my GreatUncle was in the same years, 1940-1944. They were both ordained in 1944 Kapaun in Wichita & my GreatUncle in St Louis. As a Vietnam Veteran, I can appreciate the testimonies of the Officers & Enlisted Men who served with him in Korea. Chaplains had a great impact on many of us while in uniform.
November 5, 2018
Excellent
The book was very realistic with the details of his life taken from correspondence from his early life until his capture.
Should be of interest of any young Catholic man interested in military history and saints.
The book was very realistic with the details of his life taken from correspondence from his early life until his capture.
Should be of interest of any young Catholic man interested in military history and saints.
April 13, 2024
The story of Fr Kaplaun, an Army Chaplain who served during the Korean War. He was captured by the enemy while staying behind with the wounded. He died as a prisoner; a truly remarkable and inspirational man.
June 25, 2017
Recommended for all KMC attendees.
January 26, 2024
A wonderful compilation of accounts of the life of a man with tremendous dedication and strength to carry out his vocation.
January 8, 2022
I gave it four stars because it made references to pictures, yet there were none in the book.
March 4, 2025
I've read several books about Fr. Kapaun and this book was my favorite. It contained many personal letters that told a story not only of his personality and events in his life, but also the tone of world events during the time of World War 2 and the Korean War. The author narrated between personal letters to tell a story mostly told in Kapaun's own words and ending with the letters of Kapaun's fellow POWs.
Even before he entered military service, you could feel his concern over growing tensions regarding WW2. Prophetically, he ended one of his letters dated February 1938: "Well, Emil (his cousin's name also), before the Japanese try to pull us into war, I guess I better close."
February 1939: "It looks like things are happening pretty fast. I am afraid that our government is going to be involved in another bloody struggle." He continues, "I suppose you read about Pope Pius's death. The Church, in fact, the whole world, lost a great leader and a great advocate of world peace. I wonder who will be the next Pope and what name he will take. The last Pope, Pius X died in 1914; and in a few months the bombs were bursting and men were being mowed down like rats on the fields of France. At that time America was told that she was fighting 'to make the world safe for democracy', whereas what we were fooled into fighting for was to lick Germany so England could hold her vast territories and get a little more." - A reminder to me that some things never change.
In another letter he writes to his cousin dated April 1939: "The newspapers picture one side of the question. The other they leave. We found that out during the recent war in Spain. Franco was called a 'rebel', dangerous and destructive. His moves were always pictured in a bad light. But now we are beginning to understand that we were not told the whole story. The sad part of it is that some Americans went over there to fight for the Communists against the Christians, and they were practically wiped out. I wonder when the Americans will learn not to fall for all the propaganda. Oh shucks - I should not be writing stuff like this." That gave me a little chuckle because that's easily something I would say even today 80+ years later. Reading his stance on war and the geopolitical events of his time was something I wasn't expecting but enjoyed tremendously.
Included in the book are many letters he wrote while while crouching in a foxhole with artillery shells whistling overhead. As a reader you understand somewhat the hardships of being in war. In one letter dated August 1950, he writes: "This fighting is nerve-racking. Many of the soldiers crack up - they go insane and scream like mad men. It seems like a dream. I don't know if I will live through the day or night. We are close to heaven but really we are more like in hell."
After his capture, the personal letters from Fr. Kapaun of course stopped. But the author then included many letters from his fellow POWs about what transpired during their time in the POW camp until his death in May 1951. One of the Army Captains attested in his letter that during combat, Fr. Kapaun had approximately five to six hundred cards of men who were killed or who had died in combat and that he made it a point of writing a personal letter to each of the next of kin. One POW with whom Fr. Kapaun was imprisoned wrote that he went "almost completely blind from lack of vitamins due to malnutrition while in captivity."
Reading war stories such as this one makes you realize how under-appreciated our war veterans are. We have these national holidays such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day that are often celebrated without a single thought to the actual reason. The suffering and the sacrifices made for our country and for freedom around the world deserves more respect. There may come a day when the people of our country have to relive what this was like; we have forgotten because times have been too good for too long.
Even before he entered military service, you could feel his concern over growing tensions regarding WW2. Prophetically, he ended one of his letters dated February 1938: "Well, Emil (his cousin's name also), before the Japanese try to pull us into war, I guess I better close."
February 1939: "It looks like things are happening pretty fast. I am afraid that our government is going to be involved in another bloody struggle." He continues, "I suppose you read about Pope Pius's death. The Church, in fact, the whole world, lost a great leader and a great advocate of world peace. I wonder who will be the next Pope and what name he will take. The last Pope, Pius X died in 1914; and in a few months the bombs were bursting and men were being mowed down like rats on the fields of France. At that time America was told that she was fighting 'to make the world safe for democracy', whereas what we were fooled into fighting for was to lick Germany so England could hold her vast territories and get a little more." - A reminder to me that some things never change.
In another letter he writes to his cousin dated April 1939: "The newspapers picture one side of the question. The other they leave. We found that out during the recent war in Spain. Franco was called a 'rebel', dangerous and destructive. His moves were always pictured in a bad light. But now we are beginning to understand that we were not told the whole story. The sad part of it is that some Americans went over there to fight for the Communists against the Christians, and they were practically wiped out. I wonder when the Americans will learn not to fall for all the propaganda. Oh shucks - I should not be writing stuff like this." That gave me a little chuckle because that's easily something I would say even today 80+ years later. Reading his stance on war and the geopolitical events of his time was something I wasn't expecting but enjoyed tremendously.
Included in the book are many letters he wrote while while crouching in a foxhole with artillery shells whistling overhead. As a reader you understand somewhat the hardships of being in war. In one letter dated August 1950, he writes: "This fighting is nerve-racking. Many of the soldiers crack up - they go insane and scream like mad men. It seems like a dream. I don't know if I will live through the day or night. We are close to heaven but really we are more like in hell."
After his capture, the personal letters from Fr. Kapaun of course stopped. But the author then included many letters from his fellow POWs about what transpired during their time in the POW camp until his death in May 1951. One of the Army Captains attested in his letter that during combat, Fr. Kapaun had approximately five to six hundred cards of men who were killed or who had died in combat and that he made it a point of writing a personal letter to each of the next of kin. One POW with whom Fr. Kapaun was imprisoned wrote that he went "almost completely blind from lack of vitamins due to malnutrition while in captivity."
Reading war stories such as this one makes you realize how under-appreciated our war veterans are. We have these national holidays such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day that are often celebrated without a single thought to the actual reason. The suffering and the sacrifices made for our country and for freedom around the world deserves more respect. There may come a day when the people of our country have to relive what this was like; we have forgotten because times have been too good for too long.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews