And he did it all without speaking! That rascally tramp!

Jocularity, jocularity.

Approves...

Six decades after his death, he is being considered for the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Fixed.
/pet peeve.

GypsyJoker: Jocularity, jocularity.

Came to say exact this. I love fark!

Am I to understand that your priest won a weekend in Tokyo with a nurse?

/it's a dream come true.

Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

MemeSlave: Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

You mean....healthy?

Badass

For his heroism, a group of Kansas politicians are pushing to have him awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration.

I do hate it when politicians push to have people receive the MOH. Maybe it's just the fact that politicians are involved.

Also, seriously he got a DSC. That's not exactly a consolation prize. What's wrong with the DSC?

Having your pipe shot out of your mouth would be a total buzz kill.

And, the headline itself annoys me: "Recognition finally for a warrior priest's heroics". Really? He got recognized. A long time ago. He got a DSC.

Is this whole "everybody who was remotely brave should get a MOH" thing related to the whole "everybody should get a trophy for showing up" modern attitude or something?

Spade: For his heroism, a group of Kansas politicians are pushing to have him awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, America's highest military decoration.

I do hate it when politicians push to have people receive the MOH. Maybe it's just the fact that politicians are involved.

Also, seriously he got a DSC. That's not exactly a consolation prize. What's wrong with the DSC?

It doesn't measure up to his enormous brass balls. They have to give him a MOH AND sainthood, one for each round one.

MemeSlave: Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

Genetic modifying of food and reliance upon corn as a filler was still a couple decades away?

Wow...just wow.

ExperianScaresCthulhu: Genetic modifying of food and reliance upon corn as a filler was still a couple decades away?

That, and eating like a pig. No matter how genetically modified a food is, or how intensive corn is used and even how your metabolism and hormones work, Reynolds transport theorem is always valid. So, you only fatten up if you shove food down your pie hole. The rest of the world also eats, and it doesn't exhibit the same obesity problem that the US does.

Magorn: MemeSlave: Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

You ever read much on the early days of the Korean war? Supply lines for our boys were stretched mighty thin, at times and eating regularly wasn't an option

Not only this, but military rations are not something you get fat and lazy on.

I hate how these stories usually say how they would "win" the medal. That and the Congressional part of it.

Still, it is a quite a life that man lived.

NIXON YOU DOLT!!!!!: MemeSlave: Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

You mean....healthy?

People cooked back then.

In particular, women cooked meals for their kids back then.

/restaurant food, even 5 star vegan, is pure poison
//Big Corn is a stupid waste of money, but it isn't killing you
///you're doing that by not learning to cook

MemeSlave: Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

It was before fast food when fruits and veggies were a main part of the diet. Meat was only eaten a few times a week. This country was built on the apple.

I yearn for you deeply.

Signed,

A.T. Tappman, Chaplain

MemeSlave: Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

You mean the people who grew up near starvation during the Great Depression and then fought in WWII and Korea? (and eventually died of starvation in this case) That is a pretty extreme diet plan you have there.

MythDragon: Six decades after his death, he is being considered for the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Fixed.
/pet peeve.

out of 3,458 American soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who have wonawarded it.

They always get that wrong too. Its not the olympics there you journalists.

The Dictator of Tomania?

Since when do Americans surrender?

They should give him a Medal Of Honor for going into New York and freeing the Presidents daughter. And that shiat he did in LA was pretty amazing too.


RIP SNAKE PLISKIN

FTA: "When the chips were down, Father proved himself to be the greatest example of manhood I've ever seen in my life."

That is the example I wish I could find on a more regular basis in the Church.

FormlessOne: FTA: "When the chips were down, Father proved himself to be the greatest example of manhood I've ever seen in my life."

That is the example I wish I could find on a more regular basis in the Church.

Sad thing is, a small amount of bad tarnishes all the good. There are many many good men, just as brave and strong as this man, who will go without recognition cause of the black stain.

There is no news like bad news in the media's eyes. Still pissed off the media down here made it sound like a girl who was murdered was to blame over the person who killed her.

beta_plus: NIXON YOU DOLT!!!!!: MemeSlave: Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

You mean....healthy?

People cooked back then.

In particular, women cooked meals for their kids back then.

/restaurant food, even 5 star vegan, is pure poison
//Big Corn is a stupid waste of money, but it isn't killing you
///you're doing that by not learning to cook

Smaller portion sizes, less additives to foods, more exercise...yeah, they're generally thinner than they are now...

I thought that to become a saint, there had to be two proven miracles...what were his miracles?

JSieverts: I thought that to become a saint, there had to be two proven miracles...what were his miracles?

Yeah they kinda forgot about that.

Magorn: FormlessOne: FTA: "When the chips were down, Father proved himself to be the greatest example of manhood I've ever seen in my life."

That is the example I wish I could find on a more regular basis in the Church.

It seemed to me that when I was kid there was a lot more of that going 'round the church. I think a lot of the residual affection I have for my natal church comes from my experiences as a kid with priests like Father "Doug" an ex-army Ranger with an incredible gift for connecting with kids and young adults. So gifted in fact that the priesthood lost him when his natural desire to have kids of his own caused him to seek release from his vows. *sigh* A damn good father now, though, from what I hear, even if he isn't still a Father...

I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church, still go to the very same one, and we had gifted children pastors come and go. And as I grew up, I still keep in touch with the ones helped me mature into a good natured man I am today. And they always had their own kids too. Even when life hit them really hard, one lost his wife to a hereditary disease. He still is a pastor in his own church, raising his three sons on his own.

The Korean War seems to be all but forgotten, but goddamn does it sound like one huge cluster.

This selflessness we can all aspire to immulate in our daily relationships with others

Magorn: MemeSlave: Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

You ever read much on the early days of the Korean war? Supply lines for our boys were stretched mighty thin, at times and eating regularly wasn't an option

In the video he complains in a pre-capture letter complaining about no food for two days and no water for one. That's some shiatty supply lines.

But also, it sounds like he was the kind of person who can't stand sitting still. He apparently insisted on doing a bunch of manual labor around the church because that's how he grew up on the farm, and wrote home that he found the long Army marches invigorating.

MemeSlave: Ever notice how everyone in old timey pictures is thin?

The average American military recruit in WWI was smaller (height and weight) than the corresponding soldier in the Civil War. Nutrition would only get worse in the Great Depression. Vast swaths of the country turned out draftees unfit for military service in 1941 -- The TVA region as almost entirely useless from a soldier-standpoint.

Things started to turn around by the end of WWII. By the end of Vietnam, the average soldier started to plateau in height. Basically, until the late 1970s, the average American adult had their growth stunted by inadequate nutrition, severely so in the case of early 20th century adults. Those pictures reflect famine, not health.

bravo zulu padre, from a sailor to a ground-pounder.

Must have been rough in prison camp, what with the lack of little boys to molest.

:-D

/I kid!
//No Medal of Honor, however.
///Do not second guess those who awarded him the DSC.

This is an incredible story and I wish more clergy (hell, more people) could be like this - consumed with a drive to aid and comfort their fellow man.

/atheist - but we're all in this together, God or no God

The guy had some brass ones. He didn't use a rifle to show bravery, he used faith to keep the other troops brave. I'm not a religious guy (cured catholic), but this man's faith is what kept a lot of those men going. He was a true leader.

Spade: Also, seriously he got a DSC. That's not exactly a consolation prize. What's wrong with the DSC?

The last caption of the article nails it: "The people of Pilsen hope if Kapaun is canonised, it will draw tourists to the sleepy farm town"

It is a great story, but they chose to award him a DSC. I don't think they should start a precedent of retconning awards for various people well after the fact. (I know it has already happened a few times)

He comes from an era when the MOH was almost never awarded. Today, medals are handed out like candy - even to those couple of idiots who surrendered a few years back.

I agree with not second-guessing and not retconning awards.

He was awarded what they damned well meant to award him and the DSC is no small honor, nor was the Bronze Star during the Korean War.

Awarding the MOH for tourism purposes cheapens the award and what it means.

I imagine the priest from TFA, had he lived, wouldn't necessarily want this fuss 60 years later. He seems a rather remarkable - and quite humble - man.

For the time during Korea, the fact that a US solider could be shot at, have grenades lobbed at them, captured, probably tortured, and formally never had war declared against the host country and the people of that said country living in constant fear of nuclear annihilation is highly offensive.

I'm pretty liberal but when it comes to defense, I'm a bit of a sociopath. shiat like this just pisses me off.

FTA: "When the chips were down, Father proved himself to be the greatest example of manhood I've ever seen in my life."

Yeah, even in the midst of the war the Catholic Priest just can't resist showing his huge penis to everyone. Typical.

The WindowLicker: Spade: Also, seriously he got a DSC. That's not exactly a consolation prize. What's wrong with the DSC?

The last caption of the article nails it: "The people of Pilsen hope if Kapaun is canonised, it will draw tourists to the sleepy farm town"

It is a great story, but they chose to award him a DSC. I don't think they should start a precedent of retconning awards for various people well after the fact. (I know it has already happened a few times)

At least some of the time it is justified.

Back in the '90's, they upgraded a bunch of DSC's and NC's from WWII to MoH's, on the grounds that the original awards were to blacks and Asians, who were heavily discriminated against at the time. So, they went back and re-evaluated a lot of DSC awards from WWII to see if they would have been awarded a MoH if performed by a white guy.

Then there is the story of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker. She volunteered for military service in the Civil War, and wanted to be a military doctor. She was refused on the grounds that women could not serve as medical officers, or in the military at all. So, as a civilian doctor she followed around the Army and patched up soldiers on the battlefield.

She received the MoH for her action at the First Battle of Manassas. Then, in 1917 the United States decided to review old MoH citations and revoke ones that were given to people who were ineligible (since guidelines and authority for giving the award were not as enforced prior to WWI), or were given for acts not worthy of the award (in one extreme case, a unit once used the MoH as a re-enlistment incentive: re-up and get a Medal of Honor, every one of those was retroactively rescinded).

She had hers rescinded because she wasn't in the military at the time of her actions. Never mind her actions were on the battlefield during battle with the enemy, she had repeatedly requested to be allowed to be an actual Army Medical Officer (including personally petitioning President Lincoln, who declined her request), and if performed by an actual soldier her actions would have clearly been MoH territory, since she wasn't allowed to join she couldn't technically have been awarded it.

She refused to give back the Medal and wore it until her dying day. Nobody really tried to stop her.

Posthumously her Medal of Honor was restored by President Carter in 1977, making her the only female recipient of the award.

So, yeah, sometimes reviewing things after the fact can be worth it, but it needs to be an actual review to see if it's warranted, not just looking for a reason to hand out medals.

JSieverts: I thought that to become a saint, there had to be two proven miracles...what were his miracles?

Martyr's can get sainthood too. Martyrdom is likely the criteria this gentleman will be judged under.

Silverstaff: lots of history words

Thanks for this informative post, and for thus being one of the reasons why I continue to read Fark threads. Time to go read further.

Though he never fired a shot, Father Kapaun saw as much mean action as any man in his unit



I'm not sure how he can see shiat with that helmet.