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The Grunt Padre

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My name is Ray Lowry and I was the last Catholic priest to see Vince alive and the first to see him dead. On 6 Dec. 1966 Vince and I changed jobs; I went out to 1/7 on the Batangan Peninsula and Vince replaced me at 1st Med. Within weeks of arriving in Vietnam I had heard stories about Vince and he indeed "became a legend in his own time". His CO at 1/7, Lt.Col. Buzz Lubka, told me that Fr. Capodanno "could walk on water." He was an inspiration to me and made me a better Chaplain for knowing him. I'll never forget the night he died but that is a story in itself. Fr. Mode has indeed captured the essence of the man. I still think of Vince daily. I am honored to have known him and to have shared my life with him as a Chaplain with the Marines in Vietnam. May God grant his noble soul eternal rest

Fr Capodanno's life is proof that there were genuine heros in Vietnam. Too many movies and books portray Vietnam as a lousy tangle of military confusion, drugs and waisted war with no heroes. Fr Capodanno's heroic life and death shows a brighter side of the American men and women who served in Vietnam. His life redefines for me the meaning heroism and holiness. The love and service he displayed for his marines, even under fire, is inspiring. His whole life was inspiring, rising up from the difficulties of being in an immigrant family, to the rigors of seminary training, to the selflessness of Missionary work as a Catholic Maryknoll Priest and finally, as a Chaplain on a Vietnam battlefield, serving to his death the grunts he cherished. I couldn't put it down. This book is a most for those who wish to see love and faith and heroism in action and want to see another side of the Vietnam experience.

I had the ultimate priveledge to work on part of the book prior to publication. This initial introduction to Father Vincent Capodanno was life changing. Even in death, the Father continues to give a message of love. Father Mode did a fantastic job in telling of Father Vince Capodannos heroism and love for his fellow human being. He gave the ultimate sacrifice of love for his "grunts". Being the wife of a Marine, I understand secondhand the bond of the Marine Brotherhood but to see it portrayed in Father Capodannos life story, it takes on new meaning. When you read it, you too will have a cause to change for the better. Fr. Capodanno is truly an inspiration! Donna Bragg

THE GRUNT PADRE is a story for our time: We who have a magnified sense of the fallibility of heroes need to become open to heroes who are not compromised by the difficulties they faced. Here, in this story, such heroism abounds.

THE GRUNT PADRE is the story of a hidden hero, a humble man who never stopped allowing his prayer journey to transform him in radical ways. The culmination of his historic journey found him in this seemingly impossible contradiction: confronting tumult on the home front at the same time he served the tumult in the hearts of brave young Marines and others who put their lives at risk in the service of patriotic ideals.

THE GRUNT PADRE showcases service and sacrifice of tens of thousands of heroes who fought in Vietnam and who sacrificed youth, well-being and, in too many cases, life in a cause uncelebrated and misunderstood. Having accepted how on-going transformation would not assure comfort or simple answers, the Grunt Padre lives on as an invitation to his Grunt Marines and all who love them long after the war is over. As a magnificent example of those men and women whom he served, the Grunt Padre continues his missionary work even now, paying tribute to his beloved Grunt Marines even after his death and holding up their ideals, courage and personal agonies for the sake of calling us to love and honor them.

Reading this book one is reminded of how an immigrant son in New York reflects the New Jerusalem of his parents' new homeland by going abroad again, calling others to find their peace in trust in God. The stuff of heroes.

A must read for anyone keen on understanding the Vietnam War, its warriors and its intentions on the ground - an excellent read for anyone curious about the league of military chaplains who have bravely gone to battle parishes, about Maryknoll missionaries in the Pacific Basin in the first half of the last century, about Catholicism in action, about healing the wounds of war and rejection.

This is a "can't put it down" biographical story about a Catholic priest known as Father Vincent Robert Capodanno who served in the Viet Nam War. From a war that many would like to forget emerges an identifyable hero and quite probably a great saint. Fr. Daniel Mode does an excellent job in researching the life and career of this courageous officer who was described by one of the grunts who knew Capodanno as "a man who had the courage of a lion and the faith of a martyr." He died serving the "grunts" on the battlefield, minstering to them at the hour of their death. It is a well-documented account of Capodanno's childhood, manhood and priesthood and a tribute to the men who served with him. A great book for everyone, a missing piece of history that finally has come to light. Enjoy!

The spiritually inspirational story of Father Vincent R. Capodanno has deeply touched myself, my family and my friends. Both of my parents served in the Navy during the Vietnam Era; my mother as a nurse and my father as an aviator. I passed the book on to them and it brought tears to my mother's eyes each time she picked it up. The autor, Fr. Daniel Mode simply portays a vivid picture of Father Capodanno's childhood, minissonary work, and especially his deep understanding of the spiritual and physical needs of his fellow "grunts". The troops leaned on him so that they could go forward in the daily struggles of war. It was obvious that Fr. Mode had a deep connection with his subject. The countless personal interviews with the men who served with Fr. Capodanno as a missionary and later as a chaplin, as well as the troops who were in country with him bring the book to life. It was obvious how the title of Father Mode's book came to be. He writes of Father Capodanno's committment to God through his selfless sacrafice in ministering to the people he encountered in his missionary work and in Vietnam. Thank you Father Mode for writing this beautiful story!

Father Mode has written an inspiring account of Father Vincent Capodanno, a Naval/Marine Corps Chaplain who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam. With keen insight and scholarly skill, Father Mode tells the story of this devoted Catholic priest, his spirituality, his courage, and his loving service to all with whom he served. This extraordinary story needed to be told and Father Mode, himself a reserve Navy Chaplain, told it with great personal knowledge and empathy.

Fr. Capodanno is in first stage of a process to elevate him to sainthood because of his life of sacrifices to the Marines he served with in Vietnam. My brother, Tim Hanley, had the honor and privilege to serve with this down-to-earth, dedicated priest who loved serving with "his Marines." Fr. Mode, whom I met, has made a wonderful contribution with his book and I thank him for it. A very moving, inspirational book of a man who gave his life for his fellow man.

This is an interesting story which has been well researched by the author. We need more true stories of everyday people who have done great things to find their way in to the many media outlets that are over-enamored with the personal lives of actors, professional athletes, and pop singers.

Thanks to Fr. Mode, I and others have learned about this Priest who served his God and his country well in the ugly war that was Vietnam.

The bare facts of Father Vincent Capodanno's tale require relatively few words. He started out as in many ways as an unlikely candidate for his vocation, working first with the Maryknoll missions in Taiwan and then with the Marines in Vietnam. His family members remember him as a young man being in love with order, almost to the point of fastidiousness. Yet before his death he served God in some of the muddiest, most disordered, most chaotic places possible.

After serving eight years with the Maryknoll Society in Taiwan, Father Capadonno volunteered for duty as a Navy chaplain, serving with Marine infantry units on the battlefields of Vietnam. There on September 4, 1967, while trying to aid a corpsman (medic) who had been shot just moments before, and in full view of a North Vietnamese machine gunner, Father Capadonno was shot in the back 27 times and killed. He was 38 years old.

But while these few words sum up the facts of Father Capodanno's service to God, they fail completely to convey the depth of love that developed between this unlikely chaplain and the marines he served in Vietnam.

They called him the Grunt Padre, so completely did he associate himself with the struggles, fears, doubts and hopes of the usually 18 or 19 year old marines (the "grunts") he served. That love expressed itself through service in dozens, if not hundreds, of different seemingly insignificant ways, but which, in that time and place, allowed Father Capodanno to uniquely represent Christ to his men.

"A simple but welcome shower was provided each night for the enlisted infantrymen in an open field with a few canvasses set up to provide some privacy," Father Mode wrote in The Grunt Padre. "They would walk to the shower area with only a towel, a bar of soap, and sandals. For some returning from the field, it had been weeks since their last shower. They would head directly to the spot, take of their muddy clothes right there and get in, only to find themselves in a few minutes dripping wet with no towel. If Father Vincent happened to be using the shower at the same time, he would always give his towel to one of the helpless Marines and asked only that it be returned to his tent near the chapel. The chaplain would then have to walk back to his tent wearing nothing. When the young Marine returned the towel, Father Vincent would offer him a soda or a beer, a book to read (he kept a well-stocked bookshelf for this purpose) and, if needed, a place to bunk for the night. Often whole platoons arrived and Father would give hospitality to each Marine." Father Mode also recorded another "typical" incident during monsoon season. Father Vincent and another officer needed to take a scheduled truck trip to regimental headquarters. The cab of the truck only held the driver and one other. The other officer insisted that the chaplain, being of higher rank, should sit in the cab while he got soaking wet in the open back of the truck. Two 18-year-old grunts also needed a ride to headquarters. Without hesitation, Father Vincent convinced the two grunts to squeeze into his seat in the cab. He then climbed into the back with the other officer who could not believe he gave up his place so two young grunt Marines could stay dry and warm. "The chaplain, Father Mode wrote, "just smiled."

As an officer, Father Vincent had access to intelligence officers and he made it a point to find out which of the next day's patrols faced the most danger. Those were the patrols he would join. And it was in serving with one of these patrols which, along with another, had wandered into a full North Vietnamese assault, that Father Vincent was killed.

I have found Father Vincent's story has remained with me long after I first read it. His example of charity, perserverance, self-sacrifice and honor has led me to seek to deepen my discipleship in Christ and better serve the men and women whom He has sent into my life. I strongly urge people of all faiths to read this book.

David Morrison