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| I served in Vietnam with the Marine Corps from approximately May 1967 to April 1968 assigned to H&S Co as well as C Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. I came to know Father Capodanno well. He lifted my spirit on many occasions through a period of several months before his death.
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| 07 Jan 2008: I served with Gulf Battery 3/11, Charlie Company 1/7 and Bravo Company 1/7. I served as a forward observer, and I was often in the fox holes and along side Fr. Capodanno. Never have I been more struck by anyone than I was by him. I was a young 2nd LT and we went on Search and Destroy mission after Search and Destroy mission. We’d all confess- Catholics and non-Catholics- to Father Capodanno. We would say "Bless me Father, I’ve been a horrible person", and Capodanno would return with some wonderfully uplifting words for us, spiritually and humanly. I was struck by his human spirituality.
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| He never spared himself. His dedication to duty will stand as a hallmark to Naval Chaplains everywhere. He exhibited those reare qualities of humanity, selflessness, and humility that are seldom achieved, even by chaplains. He served God, Corps, and mankind in an uncommon, courageous and inspiring way.
--LtCol Basile Lubka, USMC
Performance of Duty Report; case of Chaplain Capodanno |
| Few men have seen more combat action than their chaplain. Invariably, he sought out that unit which was most likely to encounter the heaviest contact. He would then go with that unit and continually circulate along the route of march. During breaks, never resting, he moved among the men He would share his rations and his cigarettes as he quietly shared his thoughts with these men.
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