It is fitting to honor those who served in the armed forces and who gave their lives.
Today I especially have in mind fallen military chaplains.
Here is just one example of service and valor for love of God, neighbor and country.
Father Vince Capodanno was Maryknoll missionary priest. He was sent first to the missions in Taiwan and later joined the US Navy and served with the 7th Marines in Vietnam and then, after working at the naval hospital, with the 5th Marines.
On 4 September 1967 there was a terrible battle in Que-Son Valley. As the battle developed Fr. Capodanno heard over the radio that things were getting dicey and so he requested to go out with M company.
As they approached the small village of Chau Lam, they were caught under fire on a knoll. There was terrible fighting, even hand to hand, and they were almost over run. Father Capodanno was wounded in the face and his hand was almost severed by a mortar round but he continued to giving last rites and take care of his Marines. He was killed trying to get to a wounded marine only 15 yards away from an enemy machine gun.
In January 1969, Lieutenant Vincent R. Capodanno, MM, became the second chaplain in United States history to receive our nation’s highest military honor. “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty …”, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Lt. Vincent Capodanno’s Medal of Honor hangs in the Capodanno Chapel at The Basic School aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, as of December 9, 2014. The medal was donated by his family and dedicated to the chapel.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Chaplain of the 3d Battalion, in connection with operations against enemy forces.
In response to reports that the 2d Platoon of M Company was in danger of being overrun by a massed enemy assaulting force, Lt. Capodanno left the relative safety of the company command post and ran through an open area raked with fire, directly to the beleaguered platoon.
Disregarding the intense enemy small-arms, automatic-weapons, and mortar fire, he moved about the battlefield administering last rites to the dying and giving medical aid to the wounded.
When an exploding mortar round inflicted painful multiple wounds to his arms and legs, and severed a portion of his right hand, he steadfastly refused all medical aid. Instead, he directed the corpsmen to help their wounded comrades and, with calm vigor, continued to move about the battlefield as he provided encouragement by voice and example to the valiant Marines.
Upon encountering a wounded corpsman in the direct line of fire of an enemy machine gunner positioned approximately 15 yards away, Lt. Capodanno rushed a daring attempt to aid and assist the mortally wounded corpsman. At that instant, only inches from his goal, he was struck down by a burst of machine gun fire.
By his heroic conduct on the battlefield, and his inspiring example, Lt. Capodanno upheld the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the cause of freedom.
In addition, he was also awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal. The government of Vietnam awarded him the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Silver Star and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with device.
Fr. Capodanno’s cause has been opened:
Prayer to Obtain a Favor Through the Intercession of the Servant of God Father Vincent R. Capodanno, M.M. by Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio
Almighty and merciful God, look with Love on those who plead for Your help. Through the intercession of your servant, Father Vincent Capodanno, missionary and Catholic Navy Chaplain, grant the favor I earnestly seek (mention the request). May Vincent, who died bringing consolation to the Marines he was privileged to serve on the field of battle, intercede in my need as I pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
I want to add a word of thanks to a priest friend of mine, Fr. Tim Vakoc, a couple years behind me in seminary. He suffered serious wounds in Iraq, which, after causing years of suffering in the VA, eventually lead to his passing away. May he rest in peace.
These men served in hell armed with love of God and love of country. We should remember chaplains.
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These great men hold a special place in my heart. One of them encouraged my future husband to become a Catholic (during deployment), and another chaplain married us later. I still ask the latter to pray for our family, as he is deceased now.
All of my sons take their middle name from a Catholic chaplain who received the Medal of Honor: Emil, Vincent, Charles.
I live on Staten Island, where Fr Capodanno was born and raised, and where he is buried. One of the “main drags” around here is named for him.
Anyway, my husband has a friend who was diagnosed last year with Stage 4 lung cancer. They’ve been meeting every day to say the rosary together, and because the friend already had a devotion to Fr Capodanno, they’ve also been saying the prayer for his intercession. When the weather permits, they go to the cemetery to say the rosary kneeling at Fr’s grave. We love him around here!
Please keep my husband’s friend (Michael) in your prayers….he’s already lived past the time the doctors gave him.
Like Fr. Capodanno, I was impressed by the story of two other Navy chaplains: Fr. Joseph O’Callahan on the Franklin and Fr. Aloysius Schmidt on the Oklahoma. Fr. Schmidt had completed saying the early Sunday Mass on 1941DEC7 when you know what happened. Fr. Schmidt helped eleven sailors escape out a porthole before he succumbed to the attack at Pearl Harbor.
Thank you for remembering a call within a call.
High praise for Catholic chaplaincy from the late Lt. Gen. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, USMC, (Ret.)
Source: “Marine! The Life of Chesty Puller”, by Burke Davis
(Puller was awarded 5 Navy Crosses and 1 Distinguished Service Cross for bravery.)
Puller was NOT a Catholic.
From page 171:
“A regimental chaplain came to Puller’s tent one night in December,
‘Colonel [Puller], I want you to get out an order for me.’
‘I can’t get you an order. See Colonel Frisbie, he’s your man.’
‘I’m afraid of him.’
‘His bark’s worse than his bite. If you have a reasonable request, he’ll help you. What’s on your mind? Maybe I can give a hand.’
‘Well, I want you to prohibit all these good Protestant boys from joining the Catholic Church.’
‘Holy smoke, man, we can’t do that! If they’re deserting you, there must be a reason. If you fellows would get down to work like the Catholic chaplains, you’d have no trouble.’
The disgruntled minister went away.”
N.B. What he meant by “get down to work” was get on the front lines of combat!
Here’s another quote from page 183:
“As Puller jumped from the truck he was confronted by an outstretched hand – it was his acquaintance the Protestant chaplain who complained of Catholic inroads on New Guinea. Puller was in no mood to befriend him.
“Where’ve you been all this time?”
“Why I’ve been here doing my best to help out.”
“You weren’t up where the fighting was. I think I’ll prefer charges against you for being absent from your regiment.”
“Colonel, I was with the medical battalion, aiding the wounded. We worked around the clock.”
“They’ve got a chaplain of their own. Your place was with the fighting men – your own battalion. You remember our little talk about Protestant boys joining the Catholics? Well, conduct like yours is one reason for it. They see those priests doing their duty and see you evading it. I can’t work up much sympathy for you.”
Later, Puller said to his officers, “In all our fighting, I’ve known only a few Protestant chaplains worth their rations.”
And later in a conversation with his Episcopal bishop in Virginia regarding military chaplains he said, “The Catholics pick the very best, young, virile, active and patriotic. The troops look up to them.” Page 183
High praise for Catholic chaplains! And I think priestly celibacy has something to do with it!
The first American chaplain to be killed in battle was Fr. Emmeran Bliemel, O.S.B., who served in the Confederate Army in the Civil War and died at the Battle of Jonesboro while ministering to a wounded officer. He is said to have been awarded the Southern Cross of Honor. Since the Civil War, five chaplains have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and they were all Catholic priests:
Lt. Comdr. Joseph Timothy O’Callahan, U.S. Navy (World War II)
Capt. Emil Kapaun, U.S. Army (Korea) (pending cause for sainthood)
Capt. Angelo J. Liteky, U.S. Army (Vietnam)
Maj. Charles Joseph Watters, U.S. Army (Vietnam)
Lt. Vincent Robert Capodanno, U.S. Navy (Vietnam) (pending cause for sainthood, described above)
If you ask me, Fr. Aloysius Schmitt, Lt. J.G., described in a comment above, should have also received the CMH. He died at Pearl Harbor just 3 days after his 32d birthday and gave his life to save his crew mates.
Also, for sheer raw heroism, and although he was not American, let us remember Fr. Willie Doyle of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the Trench Priest of World War I, killed at Passchendaele in 1917. Put up multiple times for the Victoria Cross, he was never awarded it because of his three-fold sin of being Catholic, Irish, and a Jesuit (though he is a major embarrassment to today’s brand of Jesuits). He also has a cause for sainthood.