On November 1, 1950, during the Korean War, Captain Emil Kapaun was serving as a U.S. Army chaplain with the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division when Chinese Communist forces launched a massive assault on American positions.

As enemy fire tore through the lines, Captain Kapaun walked calmly and upright through no-man’s land, rescuing the wounded, providing medical aid, and comforting dying soldiers under withering fire. Though the Americans initially repelled the attack, they were quickly surrounded. As able-bodied soldiers were ordered to escape, Kapaun made the selfless decision to stay behind with the wounded, knowing capture was inevitable.

When the enemy broke through before dawn on November 2, hand-to-hand fighting erupted. Chaplain Kapaun refused to abandon his men. He continued moving among the wounded and even intervened on behalf of a wounded Chinese officer, persuading him to negotiate the surrender of the American forces—saving lives on both sides.

Later, after capture, Kapaun again risked his life—stepping between an enemy soldier and a wounded American, Sergeant First Class Herbert Miller, and physically preventing the execution.

Captain Kapaun’s courage, compassion, and faith uplifted others throughout the battle and long after, even in captivity. He died on May 23, 1951, in a prisoner-of-war camp, having refused food and comfort so that others might live.

He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, later upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2013.

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