Medal of Honor given to ‘kind’ ‘caring’ hero

President Barack Obama stands with Ray Kapaun, nephew of U.S. Army Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun, as he awards the Medal of Honor posthumously to Chaplain Kapaun in the White House on Thursday

WASHINGTON – When men who served in the Korean War with Emil Kapaun describe him, they do not talk about the acts most commonly associated with the Medal of Honor: He fell on no grenades, captured no enemy machine guns, killed no enemy soldiers.

For those who spent time with him in North Korean prison camps, the Army chaplain’s most heroic acts were sharing food he stole from nearby farms, washing men sick with dysentery and persuading many to keep up the brutal struggle for life. Soldiers use words like “kind,” “caring” and “hope” to talk about him and what he imparted.

Kapaun was awarded the U.S. military’s top honor Thursday in a ceremony at the White House, nearly 62 years after his death in captivity. Full story.

This is an incredibly moving story. What is your definition of hero?