Manage Delivery
April 20, 1916: Emil Joseph Kapaun is born in Pilsen
June 9, 1940: Ordained a priest at what is now Newman University
June 20, 1940: Celebrates his first Mass at St. John Nepomucene in Pilsen
1943: Appointed auxiliary chaplain at the Army Air Base in Herington
November 1943: Named pastor of St. John Nepomucene parish
August 1944: Enters the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps
March 1945-May 1946: Serves in India and Burma
Jan. 3, 1946: Earns promotion to captain
July 1946: Leaves the chaplain service
October 1946: Does graduate work at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
1948: Rejoins the Armys chaplain service
December 1949: Makes final visit home to Pilsen
July 1950: Ordered to Korea from Japan, a month after North Korea invades South Korea
Aug. 2, 1950: Earns Bronze Star for heroism in action
November 1950: Captured near Unsan, North Korea
May 23, 1951: Dies in a prison camp in Pyoktong, North Korea
Aug. 18, 1951: Posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at Unsan
1993: Named Servant of God by the Roman Catholic Church, the first step toward possible canonization
Oct. 1, 2009: Recommended for the Medal of Honor
Sources: Wichita Eagle archives, http://frkapaun.org
