POW chaplain — an unsung hero

In June, I had the privilege to join our Indianapolis Chapter for their monthly event. Aside from being a great chapter of 62 members, our third-largest chapter in the organization, they hosted a phenomenal chapter speaker who is apropos for this month’s magazine theme: Heroes in Uniform.

Fr. Matthew Pawlikowski, known formerly as Chaplain (Colonel) Matt Pawlikowski, first served as a commissioned officer before pursuing his vocation and returning to the Army to serve as a Catholic chaplain at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He retired in 2020 and was hired as a civilian to be the first Catholic ever to hold the post of Senior Chaplain at West Point.

Chaplain Col. Pawlikowski donned his Korean War-era olive drab blouse (shirt for you civilians) and took to the podium. In front of him sat a table of props he used throughout his dramatic reading of Fr. Emil Kapaun’s story, which he likewise enacted.

A native of Pilsen, KS, Fr. Kapaun became a priest of the Diocese of Wichita. He rose to the rank of Captain after serving in World War II, finished active duty, and earned his master’s degree at Catholic University of America. He returned to active duty to deploy to Japan in 1950, and soon was shipped off to Korea, making the first amphibious assault of the war in July that year.

Kapaun gained a reputation for bravely serving the troops, rescuing the wounded and dead, and ministering to the living by doing baptisms, hearing Confessions, offering Holy Communion, and celebrating Mass on an improvised altar on the hood of a Jeep. At times his Mass kit, Jeep, and trailer were destroyed by enemy fire. In letters home, he said he was thoroughly convinced that others’ prayers helped him survive.

In November, Kapaun’s 8th Cavalry Regiment was attacked and overrun. Despite many pleas for Kapaun to retreat, he stayed and rescued nearly 40 men, which later earned him the Medal of Honor. He was eventually taken prisoner by the Chinese where he gained the reputation of caring for his fellow POWs by stealing food for them. It was reported that in the prison camp, nearly two dozen men daily would die from starvation, malnutrition, disease, and cold. Kapaun refused to despair and remained a beacon of hope for the men until his last breath.

Kapaun eventually succumbed to malnutrition and pneumonia in a Chinese death house (which the Chinese referred to as a ‘hospital’) on May 23, 1951. Aside from the Medal of Honor, Kapaun was posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit for meritorious conduct as a POW. In 1993, Pope St. John Paul II made Kapaun a Servant of God. On March 4, 2021, his remains were identified and brought back to the Diocese of Wichita. An incredible witness for us, as we soldier our way through day-to-day struggles.

STEPHEN M. HENLEY is Legatus’ executive director.