UPDATE: The remains of Father Emil Kapaun arrived in Wichita Saturday morning at Eisenhower National Airport. The remains were returned to the Kapaun family earlier in the week in Honolulu.
A procession took the remains to Father Kapaun’s hometown of Pilsen, in Marion County. They will be returned to Wichita for a vigil and services Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Chaplain Service of the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center will offer a Welcome Home service on Thursday, September 30, to honor Father Emil Kapaun, a native of Pilsen, KS. The service will begin at 10 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Wichita, 525 N. Broadway.
Fr. Kapaun served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army during both World War II and the Korean War. He died in a prisoner of war camp in Korea and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. His remains were recently identified as part of a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency project and returned to Kansas.
With seats already full for Fr. Kapaun’s funeral and internment on September 29th, the VA’s service provides another opportunity for Veterans and the community to remember and honor Fr. Kapaun.
For more information, contact the Dole VA Chaplain Service at 316-685-2221, ext. 53430.
