Vincent, a Catholic priest and missionary, lost his life in Vietnam while on the battlefield administering the sacraments and comforting wounded and dying Marines.
Gaeta, 5 September 2024 – Speeches by the commander of the flagship of the US VI Fleet Mount Whitney, Captain Matthew Kiser, and the deputy mayor of Gaeta Gianna Conte, characterized the commemorative ceremony for the 57th anniversary of the passing of US Navy chaplain Vincent Capodanno, which took place in Piazza Capodanno in the presence of military and civilian authorities and a large audience.
Of Gaeta origins, Vincent, a Catholic priest and missionary, lost his life in Vietnam on September 4, 1967 while, on the battlefield, he administered the sacraments and comforted wounded or dying Marines. On January 7, 1969, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, equivalent to the Gold Medal awarded in Italy by the President of the Republic.
In addition to the Sixth Fleet Musical Band Quintet, which accompanied the salient moments of the commemoration with appropriate music and the prayers of invocation and blessing by Lieutenant Commander Joshua Hickman, chaplain of the Mount Whitney, the ceremony – conducted in both languages by the Chief of Staff of the Mayor Roberto Mari – also saw the presence of 4 Marines in uniform who came to Gaeta to pay homage to their Father and protector Vincent Capodanno.
The event was accompanied by a large platoon of sailors from the Mount Whitney ship, representatives of the associations and institutional bodies of Gaeta: the Red Cross, the ANC-National Association of the Carabinieri, the ANFI-National Association of Financiers, the ANMI-National Association of Italian Sailors, the ITS Academy Caboto, and the Nautical Institute “G. Caboto”.
Praising Father Capodanno’s selflessness and courage, Commander Kiser emphasized that “the life of Father Capodanno is a testament to the powerful bond between Italy and the United States, and it is appropriate that we gather together, both Italians and Americans, here, in this square, next to the monument that bears his name.”
“When Vincenzo Capodanno Sr., born in Gaeta on August 5, 1881, left Italy in 1901, he could hardly have imagined that 90 years after his departure, the city of Gaeta – Gianna Conte emphasizes – would name a square, unique in the whole of Italy, and in 1992 a memorial, after his son”. The deputy mayor thanked Commander Kiser “for giving us the opportunity to honor the memory of an Italian-American hero, a great priest of Gaeta origins who gave his life for others. We are proud to honor the sanctity that this Servant of God radiated during his short life and even after. Father Capodanno felt the duty to be at the service of the people. Our duty is to remember him”.
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