Vincent R . Capodanno Servant of God Vincent Robert Capodanno ( February 13 , 1929 – September 4 , 1967 ) was a United States Navy Roman Catholic chaplain and a posthumous recipient of America ' s highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for actions during the Vietnam War . Biography . Vincent R . Capodanno was born in Staten Island , New York , on February 13 , 1929 . He graduated from Curtis High School , Staten Island , and attended Fordham University for a year before entering the Maryknoll Missionary Seminary in Ossining , New York . He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in June 1957 . Father Capodanno ' s first assignment as a missionary was 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 then was assigned to a Maryknoll school in Hong Kong . Military service . In December 1965 , Father Capodanno received his commission as a lieutenant in the Navy Chaplain Corps . He was assigned to the First Marine Division in Vietnam in April 1966 . At 4 : 30 am , September 4 , 1967 , during Operation Swift in the Thang Binh District of the Que Son Valley , elements of the 1st Battalion 5th Marines encountered a large North Vietnam ese unit of approximately 2 , 500 men near the village of Dong Son . The outnumbered and disorganized Company D was in need of reinforcements . By 9 : 14 am , 26 Marines were confirmed dead , and another company of Marines was committed to the battle . At 9 : 25 am , the commander of 1st Battalion 5th Marine requested further reinforcements . Father Capodanno went among the wounded and dying , giving last rites . Wounded in the face and hand , he went to help a wounded corpsman only yards from an enemy machine gun and was killed . His body was recovered and interred in his family ' s plot in Saint Peters Cemetery , West New Brighton , Staten Island , New York . On December 27 , 1968 , Secretary of the Navy Paul Ignatius notified the Capodanno family that Lieutenant Capodanno would posthumously be awarded the Medal of Honor in recognition of his selfless sacrifice . The official ceremony was held January 7 , 1969 . Cause for Canonization . On May 19 , 2002 , Capodanno ' s Cause for Canonization was officially opened , and he is now referred to as a Servant of God . In May 2004 the Initial Documentation was submitted to The Congregation for the Causes of Saints with CatholicMil , later renamed Mission Capodanno , acting as Petitioner and Father Daniel Mode named Postulator . On May 21 , 2006 a Public Decree of Servant of God was issued by the Archdiocese for the Military Services , USA . The statement was made by Archbishop Edwin F . O ’ Brien in Washington D . C . Awards and decorations . Father Capodanno was awarded the following : Medal of Honor citation . Father Capodanno ' s official Medal of Honor citation is as follows : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Chaplain of the 3d Battalion , in connection with operations against enemy forces . In response to reports that the 2d Platoon of M Company was in danger of being overrun by a massed enemy assaulting force , Lt . 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 as he provided 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 , Lt . Capodanno rushed 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 machine gun fire . By his heroic conduct on the battlefield , and his inspiring example , Lt . Capodanno upheld the finest traditions of the U . S . Naval Service . He gallantly gave his life in the cause of freedom . USS Capodanno . was named in honor of Lieutenant Capodanno . The Capodanno was commissioned September 17 , 1973 , and was decommissioned July 30 , 1993 , and sold to Turkey . It became the first ship in the U . S fleet to receive a Papal Blessing when it was blessed by Pope John Paul II in Naples , Italy , September 4 , 1981 . New York City honors . In March 1971 , the Knights of Columbus , Madonna Council in Staten Island sought to have a permanent public memorial honoring Father Capodanno . In October 1974 , a bill was proposed to change the name of Seaside Boulevard to Father Capodanno Boulevard ; a year later , the bill was passed by the Mayor of New York . The city of New York declared July 3 , 1976 , " Father Capodanno Day " and held a Mass , followed by a parade that included the United States Marine Corps Color Guard , bands from the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps , and Boy and Girl Scouts . A monument was erected at the corner of Midland Avenue and Father Capodanno Blvd on Staten Island . It is made of light gray Barre granite , stands 8 ' high and 4 ' wide and has a bronze plaque . Saint Vincent Chapel , Taiwan . Saint Vincent ' s Chapel was the Capodanno family ' s first choice as a memorial . Within four months after his death , almost $ 4 , 000 had been raised by organizations such as The American Legion , The Veterans of Foreign Wars , the Knights of Columbus and the Marine Corps League . The chapel was completed in 1993 . It was built in the small mountain town of Thiankou with the help of Father Dan Dolan , another Maryknoller and Father Capodanno ' s former pastor when he was a missionary in Taiwan . Capodanno Hall , San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard . The San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard dedicated Capodanno Hall on November 3 , 1969 . The hall serves as a Bachelor Officers ' Quarters . Phillip Capodanno unveiled the plaque which describes Father Capodanno ' s heroic deed : Lieutenant Capodanno made the ultimate sacrifice ministering to the wounded and dying during savage fighting in Vietnam . He has become the third chaplain in our country ' s history to receive the Medal of Honor and the second Navy chaplain to be so honored .