Remembering POW Mike Dowe

“He was one of the most selfless people you would ever run into. He was always thinking of others; I could give you so many examples of how he just sacrificed his own self, even to the very end.” 
– Mike Dowe on Father Kapaun

Mike Dowe, a good friend of Father Kapaun, and one of his earliest and long-time supporters, passed away this weekend at the age of 97.

From Graduate to POW:

Mike graduated from West Point Military Academy at the beginning of June 1950.  Three weeks later North Korea invaded South Korea, and soon Mike was sent to bolster the forces of the 19th Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, which had suffered heavy losses trying to stem the Communist attack.

After several months of fighting, Mike Dowe and his friend William Funchess found themselves facing Chinese intervention in the war.  They were captured in November in North Korea, suffering a similar fate as Father Kapaun.

Dowe began hearing stories of Chaplain Kapaun’s bravery and acts of mercy.  The two would eventually meet on one of the forced marches as they were carrying a wounded man on a stretcher.

“I’m Kapaun,” said the soldier up front.

“Father, I’ve heard about you!” said Mike Dowe from the back.

“Don’t pass it along,” Father Kapaun smiled, “it might get back to the Chief of Chaplains.”

An Eyewitness to a Saint:

Over the coming months, Dowe was both a beneficiary of Father Kapaun’s campaign of mercy and hope in the prison camp.  He saw firsthand how Father’s spirit lifted the spirits of so many suffering men, literally gifting them the will to survive in some cases.  

When the Communists came to take Father Kapaun away, Dowe was in tears, but he received those famous last words from his beloved chaplain:

“Mike, don’t worry about me, I’m going where I always wanted to go, and when I get there, I’ll say a prayer for all of you.”

Over two years later, when the POWs finally received their freedom, the one thing they wanted to do was share Father Kapaun’s story.  Dowe wanted to spread it as far as he could, so he contacted The Saturday Evening Post, one of the most-popular publications at the time.

The article, titled The Ordeal of Chaplain Kapaun, became not only one of the earliest, but one of the most well-written articles testifying to the down-to-earth saintliness of Father Kapaun.  

Dowe was also interviewed for the documentary produced by Kapaun’s Men.  Take a few moments to read or listen to one of these above.

A Tireless Advocate:

Mike Dowe never stopped advocating for Father Kapaun’s cause, both on the secular and religious side.  He was one of the nine POWs to be present at the awarding of the Medal of Honor to Father Kapaun in 2013.  He has always said that Father Kapaun is a saint.

But more powerful and unexpected than anything else, Mike Dowe was able to welcome his beloved friend home when Father Kapaun’s remains were returned to the Diocese of Wichita in September 2021.  His words were read at Father Kapaun’s funeral Mass.

Now it’s the Chaplain’s turn to welcome his friend to his true and lasting home.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.