Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
Emil Kapaun from Wichita, an Army chaplain who died in a prisoner of war camp in North Korea, is one of the heroes of a new movie about war chaplains. The documentary “Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey” tells the stories of America’s combat chaplains.
Kapaun, a Catholic priest, received the Medal of Honor in 2013. Initially, Kapaun’s story was not going to be a major part of the film, which highlights the history of the Chaplain Corps and tells the stories of some of the 419 chaplains who died while serving their country. But, in 2021, Kapaun’s remains were finally identified and sent to his hometown in Kansas for a proper burial — and the film took a turn.
READ: Honoring the hero chaplains
The film, which has involvement from actor and director Chris Pratt, is narrated by its co-director, former U.S. Army chaplain Justin Roberts, who found himself having a difficult time transitioning back into life in the civilian world after serving in Afghanistan.
Retired Southern Baptist Army chaplain, current pastor of 2 Cities Church in Columbus, Ga., and assistant professor of Christian Leadership at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jeff Struecker, is another of the voices in the film who shares about the role chaplains play in combat zones.
The story of Kapaun’s homecoming and burial “is really where the movie found its heartbeat, because I think that’s what audiences are responding to,” codirector Richard Hull told Fox News. “It allowed us to build a structure for the movie that was all about Justin’s own journey but also the journey of the former combat chaplains who inspired him.”
Hull was excited by Pratt signing on as executive producer. “The more I got to know the subject matter, the more I fell in love with it, and I thought, ‘This is a movie that, not only do I want to produce, but I also want to direct and be the storyteller behind it,'” he told CBN News. He says the project quickly and easily came together, with Pratt who is known for his support of veterans. “He’s a big military supporter,” Hull said. “He’s a very faith-forward guy. He really has a true heartfelt interest in telling these stories, most of which have never been told.”
The Chaplain Corps traces its history back to the Revolutionary War. “One of the things that’s so amazing about the Chaplain Corps is that all faiths are represented,” he said. In the film, viewers hear from Christian, Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish chaplains.
“I think that the thing that’s interesting about that, for me, is that, particularly for people of faith, this is truly a unique opportunity to live your faith on a daily basis,” Hull said. “And so while a chaplain may come from a particular faith, when you’re out there on the front lines, you’re dealing with soldiers of all faiths and no faith. And you have to figure out how to bridge that divide on some really hard, powerful and important questions of life and death — and bullets are whizzing by your head.”
“Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey” is in theaters nationwide.
–Alan Goforth
