February 2008 Print

A Shepherd in Combat Boots, SUMMARY: A man's true character is revealed by his conduct in difficult circumstances, and tales of courage have always been worth reading for their power to inspire. But when the hero is a Catholic priest and chaplain whom the Church has named "Servant of God," then the story takes on an added dimension. This history of Fr. Emil Kapaun's life as a chaplain and POW in Korea is just such story. May the name of this son of Kansas farmers become well known in America.

  

The Last Crusade, SUMMARY: In Spain, 1936, what is known as the Spanish Civil War broke out. Dr. Warren Carroll, founder of Christendom College and author of an acclaimed series of histories on the Christian West, tells the tale of how the faithful Catholics of Spain proclaimed a Crusade against the Communists and triumphed against all odds. The story of the defense of the Alcazar, an epic of heroic courage and fidelity, must never fade from our memories.

 

In our current age of debate over the just war doctrine and our government's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan (and maybe Iran), we can easily lose sight of what Catholic duty and sacrifice should and do mean. Authorities better informed and better able to articulate than I the proper arguments for how Catholics should view warfare could likely learn much from the players in the Spanish Civil War of the late 1930's and from Fr. Emil Kapaun (pronounced KAY-pon, like the chicken, ironically), a chaplain in the Korean War.

The common protagonist and clear enemy in both books is Communism. A true enemy of Catholicism and Christ the King, Communism is intelligently and thoroughly depicted in the accounts of both of these efforts. Also depicted are the various non-Communist factions who get sucked into its ungodly momentum. After reading both books, I was reminded again that Communism, although in a different form today than fifty years ago, is still alive, formative, and a very real enemy. The Communism that the Spaniards faced in circa 1936 had also changed its face and form by 1950's Korea. And as I look at my sons, it is an enemy that, as a father, I am duty-bound to make sure that they know about and understand isn't going away anytime soon. And it's ever changing. Yes, the Wall fell in 1989, but come on, do you really trust Vladimir Putin? Defending to the death their families, home soil, and religious liberties may (will?) be something that our sons and grandsons have to do in the generation(s) ahead. If you take only one thing away from either of these books, let it be that Communism should not be taken lightly. Nor should a strong faith. It is a widely held belief that Russia was not properly consecrated as requested by Our Lady of Fatima. No doubt this has allowed Communism to survive and spread!

I was given William Maher's book about Fr. Emil Kapaun by a trusted priest and picked it up to read with some reluctance. My sensibilities and pull at the time were smack dab between the NBA Playoffs and Fr. Tanqueray's The Spiritual Life–both immense and alluring, but clearly polar opposite offerings!

Fr. Emil Kapaun was born and raised in the east-central Kansas town of Pilsen, about 50 miles north of Wichita. His upbringing on a hardscrabble plains farm no doubt contributed to his quiet toughness and the fortitude he demonstrated in later life. Pilsen was predominantly a Catholic town, with a Bohemian immigrant population as majority–Bohemian as in former natives of the German region of Bohemia, not our present day hijacking of the term "bohemian" which connotes "earthy, hip, or environmental-tree hugging, non-bathing" types. Maher paints a vivid picture of what it took to survive on a plains farm during the Depression era and how strength of faith and trust in God, as well as strong family, were at the core of a small community's fabric.

In our modern era, this connection to family, the Faith, and home-life has given way to the money grab of "business success" and "power lunches" and striving to get ahead. Careers have displaced family in importance as men (not to mention women) left the home to work for The Wage. This pursuit of wealth, power, and recognition has robbed many men and their families of what really matters. Priorities have been turned upside down, if not lost altogether. As a result, many men and families have lost their faith.

Reading this account of how Fr. Kapaun grew up immersed in work ethic and daily sacrifice, I found myself projecting my life as a corporate work-a-day member into his world and wondering how I would do! His studies didn't come easy, and Maher details how the young Kapaun persevered in all he did, both on the farm and in the classroom. Eventually, despite economic and social hardships, Kapaun was able to go away to school and achieve his goal of ordination and the priesthood. I found this book to be a page-turner and read it in a couple of sittings, which left me wondering if Fr. Kapaun would have allowed himself to sit and read a book for three to four hours when other duties called!

An Army chaplain through World War II in Burma (and elsewhere), Fr. Kapaun returned to be a diocesan priest prior to the Korean War. However, his heart and perception of his duty and where he was truly needed never strayed far from the GI's.

Fr. Kapaun was born in 1916, ironically about a year before the Bolsheviks took over Russia and forever changed the geo-political scene. In the United States, Communism remained somewhat underground, limited to liberal elites, Hollywood, and other factions (see McCarthyism–another article, eh?). But in Russia when Fr. Kapaun was a teenager, Communism was a runaway force threatening to pull into its vacuum all that came close. Spain was close enough to be sucked in. This was a Spain that had resisted and finally defeated the Islamic occupation, various heresies against the Faith (Albigensianism; Henry VIII), the current of the nearby French Revolution's waves, and anti-monarchist movements. The aftermath of World War I saw the League of Nations' pro-democracy and anti-monarchy influence grow. This early global push toward democracy provided cover for condemnations and the undermining of monarchies and Catholic Kingship and its social governance. Sounds familiar, eh? Democracy and the republic were now king. Not the monarch. Not Christ the King. It's not difficult to understand how well-meaning people could take positions that allowed such forces to grow and gain power and influence in Spain in the early 1900's and other places afterwards. As we as a nation grew to value our republic and brand of democracy and push it elsewhere, we got lazy with our enemies who didn't like the things that we didn't like, i.e. Catholic-ruled monarchies.

It would be easy to imagine Fr. Kapaun in the complex mix of 1930's Spain and the milieu of politics that existed. His stoic and steadfast sense of duty would have matched well with steel-willed Loyalist fighters like Moscardo and Franco. I have read many accounts and still felt somewhat wanting for a clear and true understanding of the various Spanish factions of this time. Carlists, Federalists, Socialists, Anarchists, Communists–it's difficult to clearly understand their various positions. But historian Dr. Carroll does justice to the positions. Loyalty to the crown, to Catholic truth, and to the Spanish homeland all factor in to the political climate. The heroism that held fast and fought against the Muslim occupation of Spain and succeeded in the Reconquista in the late 1400's was still alive and well–or well enough–in Spain during the 1930's. This was ultimately the spirit that prevailed in the Spanish Civil War.

Dr. Carroll is a formidable and entertaining historian as well as an adept storyteller. He logically inserts his fact-based views and conclusions where possible, while not prejudicing the story. He makes it clear that he is engaging in conjecture or opinion when doing so. His research is thorough, and I enjoy his writing style. I highly recommend his accounts of Queen Isabella, the French Revolution, and his six-volume work on the history of Christendom. His understanding and ability to place the reader into the time and action of the Spanish Civil War make this my favorite of his works. His Catholicism, while always present, doesn't cloud his articulation of the facts. And in the Spanish Civil War, Catholic justice was clearly an ever-present and potent player. It is refreshing to get a Catholic perspective of this little known time period.

Communism was the enemy at hand in both accounts. As an Army Chaplain in Korea, Fr. Kapaun came face to face with the Communist menace as did the Spanish freedom fighters under General Franco in the Spanish Civil War. Maher shares direct testimony and examples of Fr. Kapaun's heroism and selfless, saintly acts, while Dr. Carroll recounts saintly and heroic actions of many of the players in 1930's Spain.

In Toledo, the ancient Spanish capital, the Republican (i.e. Socialist and Communist) forces have laid siege to the citadel known as the Alcazar. Commanding the outnumbered defenders is Colonel Moscardo. His faith, leadership, military skill, and iron will lead an improbable, heroic, even miraculous stand that is truly inspiring. During the siege, Colonel Moscardo's son is captured by the enemy and held at gun point to be shot if Moscardo didn't surrender the critical stronghold. The General knows he cannot relinquish this position or it means the end of the war and Catholic freedom and victory for the Communist fighters. It is the quintessential choice: Individual versus nation; son versus nation; son versus just cause. Where have we seen that choice? God gave us His Son in just this manner. In today's world, how many fathers could make this choice? Imagine the courage and fortitude! Again, as with Fr. Kapaun's story, it's difficult, if not impossible, NOT to insert ourselves into the situation and ask: "What would I do?"

Moscardo's son stoically tells his father, "They will shoot me if you don't surrender the Alcazar. But don't worry about me." Moscardo implores his son, "If they do, then commend your soul to God, shout "Viva Espana" and die as a hero. Good-bye, my son." Moscardo's son is eventually killed. But they will not, and cannot, surrender. The Siege continues and they hold the Alcazar in sometimes miraculous fashion. Eventually the tide turns and they are rescued with the arrival of Franco's armies.

Heroism comes in all shapes and sizes. Usually those who are heroes didn't mean to be and don't want to be called heroes. They just do the right thing. They do what needs to be done. Fr. Kapaun found himself in combat in Korea, about to be surrounded by the Chinese Red Army. He saw a platoon of American soldiers isolated, wounded and cut off from the rest of the forces. He could have fallen back to safety with the others but he chose to join the cut-off platoon to minister, comfort, counsel, and be a priest to them. They were captured. The majority of Maher's book and Fr. Kapaun's story of heroism ensues from there. It is a compelling account of survival and selflessness. The Korean War isn't a well known topic, and I suspect that is why Fr. Kapaun's story is not better known. Fr. Kapaun and the men with him did what they were supposed to do and what had to be done. They did their duty. Those who survive will tell you that. But survivors also told of how Fr. Kapaun did things well beyond what should or could have been expected. Giving and finding food for the hungry. Doctoring and cleaning up the sick and weak. Always consoling and encouraging them. In many cases he kept the "dead men walking" alive. Fr. Kapaun was always urging the men onward and upward.

Fr. Kapaun went beyond what most mortal men could or would do. Maher recounts more than one story of Fr. Kapuan rescuing the wounded from the battlefield while bullets were flying. GI's testified that, "he should have been shot." But Fr. Kapaun defied logic and physics more than once. He was never hit, although his corn cob pipe was shot out of his mouth. Undaunted, he repaired it and used it anyway.

After their capture at Unsan, the POW's were forced to march 300 miles further into North Korea. This march rivals the infamous Bataan Death March in the Philippines in WWII. There are multiple stories of heroic and saintly actions by Fr. Kapaun told by men who had no religious affiliation as well as those of faith. The non-believers' accounts were especially noteworthy to me in their appreciation and respect for Fr. Kapaun. The Chaplain from Kansas clearly did amazing things both at the front and behind the lines for the men in his charge.

There are portions of the books that aren't for the faint of heart, but both of our sons (ages 11 and 15) have read these books. Given what passes for adolescent heroes these days, I am pleased to have these two books at our disposal. There are plenty of real examples of true heroism here that any Catholic gentleman can look up to and learn from.

Simply surviving and maintaining human dignity was a daily challenge, and cruel, inhuman actions from the Communists are another common thread in both these accounts. Fr. Kapaun was taken prisoner by the North Koreans and Chinese, but the saintly priest from Kansas quietly resisted the propaganda. His apologetics and cool articulation of the Faith and his pointing out the shortcomings of Communism were inspiring. It helped the men persevere and withstand the psychological warfare imposed on them by their captors. In Spain, 1936 saw staggering numbers of martyrs meet their God. Priests, nuns, and people well known as "good Catholics" were subjected to persecutions more terrible than that of the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution. In fact, more bishops were killed in Spain than there were in the entire French Revolution. Truly, the Communist desire to "kill God" was alive and well. How do we learn from these examples? How do we apply these situations and gain from our Catholic history?

Can our sons rise up with the knowledge, fortitude, cohesiveness, and faith to quell a Communist or Islamist assault on our country??? What if it's not just our country, but our religion, with a true Trajan-like persecution? What about when we are old and no longer able to lead and help? Could we (baby boomer and Gen X Catholics) do it now?

Are you comfortable with the answers to these questions?

I have two friends, one raised in Spain, a traditional Catholic and essentially a Carlist (though it's not that simple), the other a highly educated intellectual who has studied in the US, and also spent time in Spain and studied the socio-political workings and underpinnings of the Civil War. I have discussed the various sides and factions and the respective viewpoints with both of them and can say that Dr. Carroll's book lays out a terrific foundation to understand what is an important but little known piece of history. It's a complex story with many factions, but this book is effective and inspiring. I highly recommend his book as a starting OR ending point for the Spanish Civil War! The overarching theme is about the heroism of many Spanish defenders. Many gave their lives. Some didn't fully understand why, but yet they did. The Communist-led army wished to take away their faith and their homeland. It was as simple as that. You will not take my Faith and you will not take my home! This visceral and dual foundation was as strong as granite. They would not be moved and it willed them to persevere through many pitched battles, the loss of sons, daughters, spouses, friends and townsfolk. There was a desperate, never-say-die quality and courage that permeated the entire Catholic Spanish resistance. In our transient and rootless culture, where would we find this resolve and courage? This true courage? Chesterton wrote at about this same time period on an unrelated (but VERY related) topic. He said, "Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live that takes the form of readiness to die." And also "The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life in order to save it."

The heroes of the Spanish Civil War and Fr. Kapaun knew this. They may not have been able or cared to articulate it, but they knew it. Many a Spaniard was quoted to the effect of, "If I am forced to live without my Faith and under Communist rule, I will not. I will die fighting it." Fr. Kapaun also hated Communism. He hated it for what it did to the enemy soldiers. He always made that distinction for the men.

Upon reflection, I view these two books as leaving indelible marks on my mind and soul. The heroes from the Catholic resistance and triumph against Communism in Spain, Fr. Kapaun's daily, consistent, and undaunted example of duty and fortitude, and those who were with them in their anonymous yet steadfast solidarity, give us the example we need each and every day. Just pick up these two books and read on! There are many saints that I read of and admire. Many of them, though, seem far removed and of different eras, and they are. I find it challenging to project myself into their time and situations. But the heroes and saints of the Spanish Civil War, like Colonel Moscardo at Toledo, Colonel Pinilla at Gijon, countless priests and religious, and Fr. Emil Kapaun through his saintly life and the examples they give, are close to us in time and circumstance. Fr. Kapaun grew up in a simple, hard working existence, not so long ago and as many of us did. He was of my father's generation. And many of the leaders of the Spanish Catholic resistance had similar roots. For this, they seem more contemporary and that much more real and able to be copied and followed in their example. And we need to follow their example. The enemy is insidious, hidden and clever, but always present and ready. He is always adapting and looking for new angles. Are we ready to meet his challenge?

Reading these two books has given me a crystal clear example of what is needed in dire times and what is needed to be ready.

Said Mark Twain, "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear." Mr. Maher and Dr. Carroll have brought us two accounts of mastery over fear and true unflinching heroism. I believe we–and our sons–are in their debt.

 

Mr. Dennis Hammond is the father of four children. He is a freelance writer, part-time public speaker, and works in Executive Marketing for IBM. The family lives on ten acres outside Fort Worth, Texas, and assists at the Latin Mass.