Emil Kapaun

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Emil Joseph Kapaun (April 20, 1916 – May 23, 1951) was an American Catholic priest and United States Army captain who served as a 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 2013, Kapaun posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Korea. He is the ninth American military chaplain awarded the Medal of Honor. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Kapaun's body was accounted for on March 2, 2021. In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Kapaun a Servant of God, the first stage to canonization in the Catholic Church. In 2025, Pope Francis declared him Venerable, the next stage on the path to canonization.

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