R
E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS Father Emil J. Kapaun,
Chaplain, US Army, a native of Pilsen,
Kansas, and accredited by the Diocese of Wichita, United States of America, was
Chaplain of the 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Korea, in 1950, and
WHEREAS Chaplain Kapaun
distinguished himself, as both a Soldier and a Chaplain, on the field of battle
in Korea during the early days of the Korean War in an uncommon manner, ministering
both spiritually and physically to his fellow Soldiers , particularly the sick,
wounded and dying, becoming a legend among the troops he served, and
WHEREAS Chaplain Kapaun further
distinguished himself by ministering to the wounded and dying of his Regiment, during
the height of the fierce battle at Unsan, North Korea on November 2, 1950, in which
his Regiment faced overwhelming odds because of the Chinese Communist invasion
of Korea, a battle from which Chaplain Kapaun might have escaped but remained
behind ministering to the wounded and dying, as provided in the Geneva
Conventions, a decision resulting in his capture by the Chinese Communist
Command, and
WHEREAS Chaplain Kapaun, illegally
designated a Prisoner of War rather than a detained person, as provided for in
the Geneva Conventions, while a prisoner of war in several camps in the
vicinity of PYOKTONG, NORTH KOREA, unselfishly gave himself in total service to
his fellow Prisoners of War, his
military duty and his commitment as an instrument of God, without regard to
race, color, or creed, performing EXCEEDINGLY ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY to
provide aid and comfort to his fellow Prisoners of War urging their will to
live and will to continue to be American and Free World fighting men even in
captivity, all at the cost of his own health and well-being as evidenced by numerous
documented acts of the most conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity, in the
presence of an armed enemy, and
WHEREAS Chaplain Kapaun died on
May 23, 1951, of abuse by his captors, respiratory
disease and a blood clot in his leg, confined to a filthy Communist prison
"death house" tending to his flock up until he could do so no longer,
his sacrifice an example to inspire and encourage his companions and others
held as Prisoners of War throughout the camps as they received word of his indomitable
courage and spirit for God and Country, and
WHEREAS Chaplain Kapaun through
the example of his life and military duty has become one of the most popular
heroes of the Korean War, Soldier and Saint, an inspiration to his fellow
prisoners, and all who serve in the military, who gave of himself until he was
spent, often referred to as the man who best sums up the glory of the Chaplain
Corps, and
WHEREAS Chaplain Kapaun was
universally known as a “soldier's soldier” and a saint by those who served with
him during his military service, and especially by those who suffered with him
in the brutal Communist prison camps, and
WHEREAS the life and heroic
exploits of Chaplain Kapaun are widely know throughout the Chaplain Corps and
the Korean War Veteran Community and to numbers of the public in the US and
other nations of the world, and
WHEREAS the Vatican, in 1993,
in testimony of the love and affection of those who knew him and of his extraordinary
love of and devotion to his fellow man, announced that Emil J. Kapaun was to be
named a "Servant of God," the first step to an eventual elevation to
sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church, and
WHEREAS the United States Federation of Korea Veterans
Organizations (USFKVO),
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the United States Federation of Korea Veterans Organizations (USFKVO),
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Federation of Korea Veterans Organizations (USFKVO),
Approved and enacted,
Louis T Dechert,
Co-Chairman
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Jeffrey J Brodeur,
Co-Chairman
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