Memorial Day 2024: 3 Catholics who gave their lives for the United States

This Monday marks Memorial Day in the United States, a day dedicated to honoring and remembering military service members who have died in combat. Among them, there are some Catholics who are remembered for their sacrifices and love of neighbor.

Here we remember three of them.

P. Emil Kapaun

Emil Kapaun, born in 1916 in Pilsen, Kansas, was ordained a priest in 1940 and became a parish priest in his hometown. During World War II, he served as a chaplain in India and Burma, and continued his training in Washington DC before being sent to Korea.

In November 1950, during the Battle of Unsan, he tirelessly cared for the wounded and saved many from capture. He willingly stayed with the wounded, including a Chinese soldier who later helped negotiate a surrender. Kapaun was captured by North Korean and Chinese troops.

As a prisoner of war, he cared for captured American soldiers, treating their wounds, getting food and organizing prayer groups, making him a legend. He died in the prison camp on May 23, 1951. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2013.

The Diocese of Wichita investigated his life and opened his cause for beatification in 2008. In March 2021, his remains were identified among unknown soldiers and transferred to Kansas, where they were buried in the Wichita Cathedral.

In 1993, Pope John Paul II proclaimed him a Servant of God, marking the first step on his path to canonization.

P. Vincent Robert New Year

Father Capodanno was born in Staten Island, New York, the son of Italian immigrants. He entered the seminary of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, known as Maryknoll, and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1957. He then served as a missionary in Taiwan and Hong Kong until 1965. He later became a Navy chaplain. from the United States and arrived in Vietnam in 1966 to serve during the war.

With the rank of Lieutenant, he participated in seven combat operations, assisting the wounded on the battlefield. During Operation Swift on September 4, 1967, he was seriously wounded but continued to help the sailors. He died protecting a wounded sailor, receiving 27 gunshot wounds.

He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Bronze Star, Vietnamese Cross of Valor with Silver Star, and the Purple Heart Medal. Following his death, the first chapel named after him in Vietnam was dedicated, and in 2002, the Chaplain of the Year Awards were renamed in his honor.

On May 19, 2002, his cause for canonization was officially inaugurated. In 2006, he was declared a Servant of God.

Captain Humbert Roque Versace

Humbert Roque Versace, known as “Rocky,” was a captain in the United States Army. He was born on July 2, 1937 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, in a devout Catholic family and therefore attended Catholic high schools. Versace graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1959.

He was sent to South Vietnam in May 1962 as an intelligence officer. He later volunteered for a second tour of duty. During a mission in the Mekong Delta on October 29, 1963, Versace and his unit were ambushed by Viet Cong forces. Versace was wounded and captured along with two other soldiers.

During his captivity, he maintained his faith and morals unwavering. Despite being subjected to torture and inhumane conditions, he refused to cooperate with his captors. He even organized prayer sessions and supported other prisoners.

On September 26, 1965, after almost two years of captivity, Versace was executed by the Viet Cong. His remains were never recovered, and his final resting place remains unknown. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Versace planned to attend seminary after completing his military service and be ordained a Catholic priest, hoping to return to Vietnam as a missionary to work with orphans.