Joseph Kapaun (April 20, 1916 – May 23, 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 was the ninth American military chaplain Medal of Honor recipient.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Kapaun's body was accounted for on March 2, 2021.

Chaplain (Capt.) Emil Kapaun was born in 1916 on a rural farm in Kansas, to parents of German-Bohemian ancestry. He had one sibling, a brother named Eugene. As a boy, Emil learned to repair farm implements, a skill that would serve him well later in life, during his internment at a prisoner-of-war camp.

Kapaun was ordained a Catholic priest in 1940 and joined the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps in 1944. After a brief post in Camp Wheeler, Georgia, Ch. Kapaun served the remainder of World War II in the Burma and India Theater. In 1946, he separated from the Army and spent the next two years earning his advanced degree in education. 

In 1948, Kapaun decided to enlist in the Army Chaplain Corps for the second time. He mobilized in support of the Korean War in 1950, and served as a chaplain with the 1st Cavalry Division in Japan and Korea before he was taken prisoner on November 2, 1950, during the Battle of Unsan. During the fight, which started on November 1, 1950, Kapaun moved repeatedly under enemy direct fire to rescue wounded from a no-man's land outside the battalion's perimeter. He also negotiated with the enemy for the safety of wounded Americans, physically intervened to stop an execution, and rejected multiple opportunities for escape and instead volunteered to stay and care for wounded.

Kapaun spent the next seven months in the Sambukol and Pyoktong prison camps, in what is now the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. With disregard for his own safety and comfort, Ch. Kapaun tended to the sick and wounded, scoured for food, built fires against guards' commands, and fashioned iron sheet vessels to launder the clothing of the wounded and purify drinking water. He also led prayers and spiritual services for the POWs, at the risk of punishment. For his outspoken resistance, Ch. Kapaun was feared by the guards and revered by fellow POWs. Upon return, Pyoktong prison survivors told stories of Ch. Kapaun's courage, compassion, and spirit. They credited him with saving their lives, and hundreds more, before eventually succumbing to his own wounds and prison maltreatment. Ch. Kapaun died in Pyoktong on May 23, 1951.

In addition to the Medal of Honor, Ch. Kapaun's military awards include the Distinguished Service Cross; Bronze Star Medal with "V" Device; Legion of Merit; Prisoner of War Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one Bronze Service Star for Central Burma Campaign; World War II Victory Medal; Army of Occupation Medal with Japan Clasp; Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars; National Defense Service Medal; and United Nations Service Medal.

Kapaun is also lauded by people of the Roman Catholic faith. In 1993, Kapaun received the title of "Servant of God" from the Roman Catholic Church, the second of four stages to being named a saint. The Vatican continues investigations into possible canonization.

From https://www.army.mil/article/98061/

Emil Joseph Kapaun (April 20, 1916 – May 23, 1951) was a Roman Catholic priest and United States Army captain

EMIL JOSEPH KAPAUN

Service

KOREA

MEDAL OF HONOR

PURPLE HEART

US ARMY,

CAPT

Resting Place

ST JOHN NEPOMUCENE CATHOLIC CEMETERY

Mementos

Tributes

Word Cloud

Biography

Milestones

Mementos

Historical Documents

Veteran programs and services

More VA resources

Get VA updates

In crisis? Get help now

Contact us