DOB/DOD: February 13, 1929 (Elm Park, NY) – September 4, 1967; 38 years old
RELIGION: Roman Catholic
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
COLLEGE: Fordham University (for one year) and Maryknoll Seminaries in Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York. Ordained a Catholic Priest on June 14, 1958.
SERVICE NUMBER: 656197
ENLISTMENT: January 2, 1966, in Newport, Rhode Island
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 4105, Staff Corps – Chaplain (Reserve)
TOUR START DATE: April 1966
UNIT: Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division
CASUALTY LOCATION: Quang Tin Province
ON THE WALL: Panel 25E, Line 95
FAMILY: Born to Vincent R. (1885-1939) and Rachel Basile Capodanno (1889-1961). The youngest of 10 children. Five sisters, Marie Capodanno Ciroli (1909-1984), Pauline Capodanno Costa (1911-1996), Eleanor S. Capodanno Cattaneo (1914-1969), Dorothy R. Capodanno Minero (1917-1989), and Gloria Capodanno Holman (1922-2023). Three brothers, James S. (1919-2014), Philip D. (1924-1990), and Albert T. (1926-1981).
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal with Valor, and the Purple Heart Medal
CIRCUMSTANCES: Died from small arms fire while on Operation Swift.
Curtis High School (Staten Island, NY) Class of 1947 yearbook
CITATION TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING the Vietnam War
Service: Navy
Battalion: 3d Battalion
Division: 3d Marine Division (Rein) FMF (Attached)
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Lieutenant (Chaplain) Vincent Robert Capodanno, United States Naval Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Chaplain of the Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, THIRD Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Forces, in connection with operations against enemy forces in Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 4 September 1967. In response to reports that the 2d Platoon of M Company was in danger of being overrun by a massed enemy assaulting force, Lieutenant Capodanno left the relative safety of the company command post and ran through an open area raked with fire, directly to the beleaguered platoon. Disregarding the intense enemy small-arms, automatic-weapons, and mortar fire, he moved about the battlefield administering last rites to the dying and giving medical aid to the wounded. When an exploding mortar round inflicted painful multiple wounds to his arms and legs and severed a portion of his right hand, he steadfastly refused all medical aid. Instead, he directed the corpsmen to help their wounded comrades and, with calm vigor, continued to move about the battlefield, providing encouragement by voice and example to the valiant Marines. Upon encountering a wounded corpsman in the direct line of fire of an enemy machine gunner positioned approximately 15 yards away, Lieutenant Capodanno rushed in a daring attempt to aid and assist the mortally wounded corpsman. At that instant, only inches from his goal, he was struck down by a burst of machinegun fire. By his heroic conduct on the battlefield and his inspiring example, Lieutenant Capodanno upheld the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the cause of freedom.
From MaryknollSociety.org
The Grunt Priest, Father Vincent Capodanno, M.M.
Vincent Capodanno was born on February 13th, 1929, in Staten Island, New York. After attending a year at Fordham University, young Vincent Capodanno entered the Maryknoll seminary in 1949 and was ordained in 1958. After ordination, Father Capodanno was assigned to work with aboriginal Taiwanese in the mountains of Taiwan, where he served in a parish and later in a school. After seven years, Father Capodanno returned to the United States for leave and was then assigned to a Maryknoll school in Hong Kong.
Looking for a different challenge, Father Capodanno requested a new assignment–as a United States Navy Chaplain serving with the U.S. Marines. After finishing officer candidate school, Father Capodanno reported to the 7th Marines in Vietnam in 1966.
When his tour was complete, he requested an extension, served in the naval hospital, and then reported to the 5th Marines. He gained a reputation for always being there – for always taking care of his Marines.
On September 4th, 1967, in the Thang Binh District of the Que-Son Valley, elements of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines found the large North Vietnamese Unit, approximately 2500 men, near the village of Dong Son. Operation Swift was underway. The outnumbered and disorganized Company D was in need of reinforcements. By 9:14 am, twenty-six Marines were confirmed dead. The situation was in doubt, and another company of Marines was committed to the battle. At 9:25 am, the 1st Battalion 5th Marine Commander requested the assistance of two companies of the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines, “M” and “K” Company. During those early hours, Chaplain Capodanno received word of the battle taking place. He sat in on the morning briefing at the 3rd Battalion’s Combat Operations Center. He took notes and listened to the radio reports coming in. As the elements of Company “M” and “K” prepared to load the helicopters, “Father Vince” requested to go with them. His Marines needed him. “It’s not going to be easy,” he stated. As Company “M” approached the small village of Chau Lam, the North Vietnamese opened up on the 2nd Platoon, which was caught on a small knoll, out in the open. The fighting was fierce, hand-to-hand at times, and the platoon was in danger of being overrun. Father Capodanno went among the wounded and dying, giving last rites and taking care of his Marines. Wounded once in the face and suffering another wound that almost severed his hand, Father Capodanno moved to help a wounded corpsman only yards from an enemy machine gun. Father Capodanno died taking care of one of his men. On December 27, 1968, then Secretary of the Navy Paul Ignatius notified the Capodanno family that Father Vincent would posthumously be awarded the Medal of Honor in recognition of his selfless sacrifice. The official ceremony was held on January 7, 1969. On May 21, 2006, thirty-nine years after his death on the battlefield of Vietnam, Capodanno was publicly declared Servant of God, the first step towards canonization.
NOTE: Being a Servant of God requires three miracles to be Venerable and Blessed.
Steps for Sainthood: 1. Servant of God; 2. Venerable; 3. Blessed – then Sainthood
Posted by Doyle Sanders December 10, 2019
A CHAPLAIN FOR ALL
I met Father Capodanno while on a combat operation in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, at the start of my tour in Vietnam. We only spoke to each other for a few minutes. I was still a PFC and thinking I had made an incredible mistake by volunteering for duty in Vietnam. Those few moments talking with him really changed my life, and in my mind, I realized why I was there. I was there to help “Grunts” make it home. When my tour (time) in Vietnam was up, I volunteered to extend my tour of duty there. Something strange happened after that meeting, when in combat, I felt like someone was present; someone protecting me, and I have been that way ever since. I want to believe that the presence I have felt all these years is Father Capodanno. I am not a Catholic; my parents raised me in the Baptist faith. Many chaplains in the military receive training in several faiths. I was very happy to learn that Father Capodanno was declared a Servant of God several years ago, and hopefully, they will recognize him as a Saint before my time on earth is up. Before that, I would like to see Father Capodanno recognized as the Patron Saint of Sailors and Marines.
Posted by Clay Marston, October 12, 2000
“THE GRUNT PADRE” – FATHER VINCENT ROBERT CAPODANNO – MEDAL OF HONOR – OPERATION SWIFT – 4-15 SEPTEMBER 1967 —
In the Que Son Valley, 3/5 and 1/5 were engaged with the 2nd NVA Division and the 1st VC Regiment. Along with us was the chaplain of the 3/5, Father VINCENT ROBERT CAPODANNO. During heavy fighting and twice severely wounded, Chaplain Capodanno continued tirelessly, going from one wounded and dying Marine to another, offering whatever aid and comfort he could. He refused medevac twice, not wanting to leave his grunts, saying that he had work to do. After giving last rites to one Marine, he carried that man’s M-16 to another Marine whose weapon had jammed. Chaplain Capodanno left the perimeter to aid a wounded corpsman and three or four other Marines. He was by the corpsman’s side when an NVA machine gunner opened fire and riddled Father Capodanno from the back of his head to the base of his spine, his third PURPLE HEART of the day, and later the award of the MEDAL OF HONOR. Chaplain Capodanno had only been with 3/5 for a few short weeks, having been transferred from 1/7. He had been recommended for the BRONZE STAR in May of 1967 for his time with them. He had been on an extended tour in country from April 1966 to May 1967. He returned again in June 1967 and was again requesting an extension, or permission, to give up his R & R to be with his grunts for the holidays, when he was killed. There are 38 memorials in the name of Father Capodanno, including chapels at the United States Naval Academy and Camp Pendleton, around the world, and a destroyer escort. Also, there is a movement to have Father Vincent Robert Capodanno canonized.
Honorary namings and memorials
Within five months of his death, the chapel at the Navy Chaplains School at Newport, RI, was dedicated as the Capodanno Memorial Chapel. Other military chapels and commemorations are located in Oakland, CA, Camp Pendleton, CA, Fort Wadsworth, NY, Iwakuni, Japan, and Thiankou, Taiwan, the last of which honors the missionary who began his work in that country. A significantly prestigious memorial was the naming of the USS Capodanno, a ship whose motto, “Duty with Honor,” exemplified the chaplain service of Father Capodanno. During its 20 years of operational service, it was further distinguished as the first ship in the US Fleet to receive a Papal Blessing while docked in Naples. Further military buildings bearing his name include the Vincent Robert Capodanno Naval Clinic in Gaeta, Italy, Capodanno Hall, a bachelor officers’ quarters at the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard, and the Capodanno Research Facility at the Navy personnel offices in Millington, TN. Other tributes, geographic reminders preserving his name are: Capodanno Boulevard in Staten Island, NY, and Capodanno Street at the Naval Base, Newport, RI. Father Capodanno’s name appears on many other veteran memorials throughout the United States honoring individual servicemen and certain designated groups such as the Freedom Foundation in Valley, Forge, PA; the Catholic Chaplains Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery; the Veterans Memorial, in Kokomo, IN; and the Vietnam Memorial on the Mall in Washington, DC, as well as the Chaplain Vincent R. Capodanno Shelter for Homeless Veterans, in Boston, MA. Two artists have chosen to commemorate Father Capodanno’s heroic final moments: an oil painting by Douglas Rosa is displayed at the Chaplain School in Newport, RI, and a bronze statue by Antonio Pierotti stands at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island. The painting depicts the priest’s struggle to rescue the dying corpsman, while the sculpture reveals a calm and prayerful chaplain administering to the Marine. Another dramatic representation of the priest, a modern sculpture, is situated in Gaeta, Italy’s town square, which is also named for Father Capodanno. More recently, Lewis Williams, an iconographer, reveals the priest in his military uniform holding a prayer book, a premonition of his total sacrifice for God and country. Annual awards and scholarships continue to honor Father Capodanno. Since 1971, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has designated a recipient among the children of Marine Corps members. In 2002, the former Chaplain of the Year Award was renamed the Father Vincent Capodanno Chaplain of the Year Award. Sixteen Knights of Columbus assemblies and councils throughout the United States have chosen Father Capodanno for their patron; similarly, the Veterans of Foreign Wars have honored the chaplain by naming several posts after him. [from milarch.org]
The USS Capodanno was commissioned on November 17, 1973, and became the first ship in the United States fleet to receive a Papal Blessing when it was blessed by Pope John Paul II on September 4, 1981, the 14th anniversary of the chaplain’s death. On July 30, 1993, the ship was decommissioned after 20 years of service. [photo from Wikimedia Commons]
This is a picture of the LT Capodanno Chapel located aboard Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, CA. The Chapel is in the San Mateo section (Area 62) of the northern portion of Camp Pendleton (adjacent to the city of San Clemente and accessed via the Cristianitos Gate). From San Mateo Road, the Chapel is at the corner of “E” and 7th Streets. [photo from VVMF.org]
This monument is located at the corner of Sand Lane and Father Capodanno Boulevard, in Staten Island, New York. Seaside Boulevard had been renamed in Father Capodanno’s honor. [photo from Wikimedia Commons and contributor ELsquared]
Deacon Charles Carroll blesses a monument dedicated to Maryknoll Father Vincent R. Capodanno during a memorial service marking the 55th anniversary of the priest’s death at Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island, New York, September 4, 2022. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
Buried in Saint Peter’s Cemetery, 52 Tyler Avenue, Staten Island, NY; Section S, Range 30, Grave 11.
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