Father Emil J. Kapaun was born on April 20, 1916, in Pilsen, Kansas. He was ordained a priest in 1940 and served as a U.S. Army chaplain during World War II and the Korean War. In November 1950, during the Battle of Unsan, he remained behind to assist wounded soldiers and was captured by North Korean forces. He endured harsh conditions in a prisoner-of-war camp, continuing to minister to fellow captives until his death on May 23, 1951.

Father Kapaun was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2013 for his heroic actions during the Korean War. His cause for canonization was initiated in 2008, and he was declared a Servant of God in 2013. His feast day is celebrated on May 23.

Former Secretary of the Army John McHugh, at Father Kapaun's Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony, shared that "...among recipients of the Medal of Honor, Father Kapaun's story is, in itself, wholly unique, wholly different. He didn't charge a pillbox; he didn't defeat an enemy battalion or brigade or division by himself. Rather, Father Kapaun's only weapons were his steely defiance that inspired his fellow prisoners of war; the words he spoke, which brought comfort to the Soldiers with whom he served; and a simple piece of purple ribbon that he wore around his neck, a mark of his chaplaincy, his priesthood. But don't make any mistake about it; Father Kapaun was a Soldier; and a Soldier in the purest, in the truest sense of the word."