Bristol Eastern High School in Connecticut on July 2 paid tribute to Joseph “Kappa” Kapaczewski, the first Army Ranger to be wounded in the line of duty and return to combat with a prosthetic leg.
Former and current Rangers, Kapaczewski’s family and people from the area came together to dedicate the “Task and Purpose” memorial to the Bristol Eastern student-turned-Ranger. report July 7.
Ranger veteran Joseph Kapaczewski, who returned to duty with a prosthetic leg, was presented with a memorial at the high school. https://t.co/yTGlH4AcUr
— Task and Purpose (@TaskandPurpose) July 7, 2024
In the high school’s courtyard, there is a memorial dedicated to Kapaczewski and the two slain Bristol police officers. While the memorial is still under construction, with the help of an unlikely hero, Bristol Eastern High School students had the opportunity to learn and remember Kapaczewski’s story. (Related article: Try not to cry as young servicemen honor World War II veterans)
Steve Lewis, Kapaczewski’s rival high school football coach, attended a memorial for Kapaczewski after his suicide in 2023 and has been working to remember him ever since.
“I realized that if we were going to name a building for the high school after him, we needed a visible symbol of who he was, so I contacted the principal, Mike Higgins,” Lewis told Task & Purpose. “So I decided to do a shadow box. It took me a long time to figure out how to do it and find a graphic designer who would do a good job, because I didn’t want it to be a second-rate exhibit.”
Lewis coached two players who served with Kapaczewski in 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and while there they found themselves playing against each other in rivalry football games.
Army Maj. Benjamin Hunter, who was with Kapaczewski when he lost his leg, said his death felt “like being hit by a heavy stone,” Task & Purpose reported.
Hunter was there to watch Kapaczewski as he returned to serve after losing his leg.
“He was a Ranger, he was a leader, he was healthy, he was proactive, he was a professional, and I’m proud that I have the opportunity to honor that and the impact Joe had on people’s lives and continue the legacy of what he accomplished,” Hunter told Task & Purpose. “The fact that we’re having this conversation and talking about the crazy, cool, impactful things he accomplished after he was injured, I see this as an opportunity to continue the positive impact Joe had on other Rangers and Soldiers.”
