Father Kapaun

[Eric]

Father Kapaun is home. https://www.kake.com/story/44815684/...kapaun-remains
I would imagine Mass in Pilsen tomorrow will be an emotional event.

[Ted Lasso's Neighbor]

The last few days has been quite something. Watching the mix of religious and military services has been interesting. There was an honor guard from Ft. Hood that escorted the casket with the remains. Here are some videos of them:

Tuesday night they carried him out while the choir, made up of military personnel, sang Glory Hallelujah - https://youtu.be/HSKXSESOLUY?t=5790

The next one is from Wednesday with the choir and crowd singing America the Beautiful. There are a couple POW's who were with Fr. Kapaun at the service. Both were in wheelchairs and as the casket goes by one waves to it and the other salutes - https://youtu.be/wyIoBQMXRqA?t=8733

Finally, here's one with the military bringing the casket to the Cathedral - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVMcyWmTqh8

[Ted Lasso's Neighbor]

If you're not familiar with Fr. Kapaun, this speech on Wednesday by a retired Army chaplain reading a letter by one of the POW's in camp with Fr. Kapaun is worth a listen - https://youtu.be/wyIoBQMXRqA?t=7080

Also, the Wichita Eagle had a great article over the weekend on how the military identifies the unknown soldiers - https://www.kansas.com/news/special-...254320498.html

[ShockerPrez]

If you have not read about the stories of this man and his heroics and bravery, it is worth some time to check out. I think there are some videos on Youtube. A truly selfless individual. It humbles one to think of the acts in true times of despair, such as his.

Rest in Peace with God, Father Kapaun.

[Eric]

We were traveling to Chicago Wednesday, but watched the live-stream of the funeral. A Catholic funeral mass in and of itself is absolutely beautiful, but when you add to it the military rites, it’s on a whole new level.

I remember the funeral of an uncle ten or twelve years ago. The gravesite ceremony was held at a tiny private cemetery high in the mountains of New Mexico. It was a cloudy November day, no wind, snow had just started to fall when the military personnel there did a missing-man roll call. By the time he shouted my uncle’s name the third time, there wasn’t a dry eye anywhere. The gunshots from the salute echoing off the mountains, and the echoes from “taps” seemed to last forever.