{"id":2423,"date":"2013-02-26T11:02:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-26T11:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/korean-war-chaplain-slated-to-receive-medal-of-honor\/"},"modified":"2013-02-26T11:02:00","modified_gmt":"2013-02-26T11:02:00","slug":"korean-war-chaplain-slated-to-receive-medal-of-honor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/korean-war-chaplain-slated-to-receive-medal-of-honor\/","title":{"rendered":"Korean War chaplain slated to receive Medal of Honor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Wichita, Kan., Feb 26, 2013 \/ 04:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- A former Kansas Congressman has indicated that Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun will be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor later this year, prompting excitement from those who know of the U.S. Army chaplain\u2019s heroic service in prison camps during the Korean War.<\/p>\n

\t\u00a0\u201cLike everybody else, I think it\u2019s great news we\u2019ve been waiting for some time,\u201d said Fr. John Hotze, a priest from the Diocese of Wichita who heads the Father Kapaun Guild.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled he\u2019s finally going to be awarded the Medal of Honor. I think most people would agree he\u2019s been deserving that for some time,\u201d Fr. Hotze told CNA Feb. 25.<\/p>\n

\tThe Medal of Honor is the United States\u2019 highest military award for bravery.<\/p>\n

\tFormer Kansas Congressman Todd Tiahrt on Feb. 22 told the Wichita Eagle that he had received a note from a military officer in the Pentagon about preparations for a White House ceremony to be held April 11. The Pentagon will honor the Kansas priest on April 12.<\/p>\n

\tFr. Kapaun was born in Pilsen, Kansas and grew up on a farm. He was a parish priest before he joined the U.S. Army. He served as a chaplain with the Eighth Cavalry Regiment in North Korea, which was overrun by the Chinese army in late 1950.<\/p>\n

\tThe priest courageously rescued wounded soldiers from the battlefield, risking his own life to save them from execution by the Chinese. Later taken as a prisoner of war, he heroically worked to tend to the starving and sick in a camp that would reach subzero temperatures.<\/p>\n

\tThe priest\u2019s service to his fellow prisoners has become legendary. Scores of men attributed their survival to his deeds.<\/p>\n

\tHe sneaked out at night to steal food from the prison guards to share with those who were starving, the Wichita Eagle reports. He picked lice off of sick prisoners and shaped roofing tin into cooking pots so the prisoners could boil water.<\/p>\n

\tThe priest also encouraged the prisoners to endure despite their terrible conditions, and despite the abuse he himself faced from prison guards.<\/p>\n

\tFr. Kapaun died in a prison camp hospital on May 23, 1951 two years before the end of the Korean conflict. Prison authorities denied him medical assistance for a blood clot in his leg.<\/p>\n

\tThe Catholic Church named the priest a Servant of God in 1993, an early step on the road to sainthood. At present the Congregation for the Causes of Saints is considering two alleged miracles as it investigates whether he should be beatified.<\/p>\n

\tFr. Hotze told CNA that the military chaplain exemplified hope and charity.<\/p>\n

\tHe instilled in fellow prisoners of war the hope \u201cthat they would return home and be reunited with their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHis whole life was an act of charity \u2026 both as a priest and as a chaplain,\u201d Fr. Hotze said. \u201cHe was willing to give up his life for others.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tPresident Barack Obama is expected to present the Medal of Honor to Fr. Kapaun\u2019s sister-in-law Helen Kapaun, 83, and her children. He called Mrs. Kapaun in December to tell her about the honor. An official announcement is expected later this month.<\/p>\n

\tOnly 3,460 military service members have received the award since its introduction during the Civil War.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wichita, Kan., Feb 26, 2013 \/ 04:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A former Kansas Congressman has indicated that Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun will be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor later this year, prompting excitement from those who know of the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nKorean War chaplain slated to receive Medal of Honor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Wichita, Kan., Feb 26, 2013 \/ 04:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- A former Kansas Congressman has indicated that Servant of God Father Emil Kapaun will be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor later this year, prompting excitement from those who know of the ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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