Photo By Kaitlin Knauer | Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army. Send your Army...... read more read more
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Dear Doc Jargon,
I attend services regularly at the Kapaun Chapel at Fort Riley. My question concerns the name. I know it was named after a real military chaplain. How is Kapaun properly pronounced? I've heard several ways used in pronouncing the name, but I want to know the correct way to pronounce it. Thank you.
Signed, Devoted Church Goer
Dear Church-Goer,
That is a good question and a source of some discussion depending on who you ask. In 1956, the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, in conjunction with the Jesuit order of Catholic Priests, opened an all-boys school on the east side of Wichita and named it after Father Emil Kapaun, for whom the Fort Riley Chapel is named. The official pronunciation of the name at the school is “KAY pehn.”
At the special unit ministry team training event in April of 2018, held at Pilsen, Kansas, for chaplains and religious affairs specialists of the Fort Riley Chaplain’s Office, there were two versions used interchangeably: “KAY pehn,” and “Kah-PAWN.” Moreover, two nephews of Chap. Kapaun both of whom were at the unit ministry training event, pronounce it differently too, one using KAY pehn, and the other Kah-PAWN. However, according to Ray Kapaun, one of those nephews, the name as it comes from the Czech Republic, where it originated, is pronounced Kah-PAWN. He maintains that is the correct way to say the name.
By the way, a fuller story of Father Emil Kapaun is worth telling. He reentered the Army Chaplaincy after serving in the Burma campaign during World War II, then joined the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division in the Korean War. Soldiers of that battalion were captured Nov. 2, 1950 by North Korean and Red Chinese forces after the Battle of Unsan.
In spite of desperate conditions, Kapaun ministered to his men regardless of their religious background. According to his Medal of Honor citation, he used the cover of nighttime darkness to forage for food, care for the sick and encourage his fellow Soldiers. He died alone in a filthy prison hospital May 23, 1951. Thank you for the question and your interest in this great Medal of Honor recipient.
Sincerely, Doc Jargon
Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army. Send your Army terminology questions to fortrilypao@gmail.com.
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2022 17:15 |
| Story ID: | 419378 |
| Location: | KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 77 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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