Kansas Senator Jerry Moran shared on his Facebook page Thursday evening that the remains of Father Emil Kapaun, an Army Chaplain who went missing during the Korean conflict, have been identified.
Senator Moran posted the following message:
"This evening I was notified that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of Marion County-native Father Emil Kapaun, a Medal of Honor recipient who served as an Army Chaplain and went missing during the Korean War. Father Kapaun served in WWII and in the Korean War, where he was taken as a Prisoner of War in 1951. He continued to minister to Americans as a POW before passing away on May 23, 1951."
Kapaun was captured by Chinese forces in November 1950. He died in a prison camp hospital in 1951.
Sen Moran continues: "In 2011, I introduced legislation to bestow Father Kapaun with the Presidential Medal of Honor, which was awarded in 2013. In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Father Kapaun a Servant of God, the first step toward sainthood. I am glad that his family has finally been granted closure after Father Kapaun's selfless service to our nation."
