“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.”
Psalm 23:1-2 ( RSV)
Emil Kapaun was a US army captain, who became a chaplain to an army unit in the Korean War. He was a large built man who went beyond his normal call of duty as a chaplain. When the Chinese volunteer army joined the fight, the Army gave Emil the option to leave and go to safer area, but he chose to stay with the 800 men that he served.
Whether there was a need to find food for his men when they were starving or to pray at the side of the wounded or dying, Emil went out of his way to give hope and raise the morale of all his men.
One day Emil saw a Chinese soldier aiming his rifle at a wounded US soldier lying helplessly on the ground, and he rushed at him, shoving the Chinese soldier aside, then picked up the wounded man, and carried him to safety.
He was expecting the Chinese soldier to get up and shoot them both, but for some reason, he never did. Emil waited to hear the sound of gunshots, while carrying the wounded soldier, but the enemy soldier never fired at them. He carried the wounded man to safety, where he received medical aid, and lived to tell the story of Chaplain Emil’s bravery.
In 1951, Emil became ill and died in a Korean prisoner of war camp at the age of 35. Three unnamed US soldiers got together and buried his body in a rocky area of Korea as the war waged on.
After the war, no one knew exactly where Emil was buried until 70 years later. One of the veterans who helped to bury him, was browsing through a veteran’s magazine in a doctor’s office waiting room one day. In the magazine, there was an article about Chaplain Emil Kapaun, whose remains were never found. The man was one of the three who buried him and immediately contacted the Army authorities to tell them where they buried the chaplain.
Emil’s grave in Korea was found, and DNA tests confirmed that it was him. They brought his remains back to the US soil for burial. Emil, who was a good shepherd to his men, received an honorable burial on the green pastures of the National Memorial Cemetery in Hawaii. He was also posthumously awarded a Medal of Honor, Bronze star and a Purple Heart for his bravery in helping to rescue many men.
As Chaplain Emil fulfilled his role as the Shepherd to his regiment, the Lord was a good Shepherd to him, by bringing his body back to be honored in his own nation, after lying in an unknown grave for seventy years.
Jesus, is also our Good Shepherd, who stays at our side throughout the spiritual battles we face. He lifts our hearts up in faith, comforts us and heals our wounds. He keeps us safe from evil, and though the world forgets people, Jesus never forgets anyone.
Lord, thank you for being a Good Shepherd to us all, and please bless all the good shepherds, like Emil, who follow your example and give themselves wholeheartedly, for their flock. Amen
