Bristol Eastern High School in Connecticut memorialized Joseph “Kap” Kapacziewski, the first Army Ranger to be injured in the line of duty and return to combat with a prosthetic leg, July 2.
Former and active-duty Rangers, Kapacziewski’s family and others from the area gathered to dedicate a memorial for the Bristol Eastern student-turned-Ranger, Task and Purpose reported July 7.
Ranger veteran Joseph Kapacziewski, who returned to duty with a prosthetic leg, honored at his high school with a memorial https://t.co/yTGlH4AcUr
— Task & Purpose (@TaskandPurpose) July 7, 2024
A courtyard at the high school was dedicated to Kapacziewski and two Bristol police officers who were killed. The memorial is still under construction, but thanks to the help of an unlikely hero, students at Bristol Eastern have the opportunity to learn about and honor Kapacziewski’s story. (RELATED: Try Not To Cry Watching Young Service Member Honor WWII Veterans)
Steve Lewis, a former rival high school football coach of Kapacziewski’s, attended the memorial service after Kapacziewski took his own life in 2023 and has been working to honor him since.
“I approached the principal, Mike Higgins, afterwards, after I realized that there needed to be a visible symbol of who Kap was if they’re going to name a wing of the high school after him,” Lewis told Task and Purpose. “So I was determined to put together a shadow box, and it took a long time to figure out how I was going to do it, find a graphic designer who was going to do a good job, because I didn’t want to have any kind of second rate display.”
Lewis coached two players who served with Kapacziewski in the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. During their service, they learned that they had played against each other in those rivalry football games.
Army Major Benjamin Hunter was with Kapacziewski when he lost his leg and said his death “hit like a ton of bricks,” Task and Purpose reported.
Hunter was there, observing Kapacziewski when he came back to serve after the amputation of his leg.
“He was a Ranger, a leader, fit, aggressive and a professional. It makes me proud that there’s an opportunity to celebrate that and the impact that Joe had on people’s lives, and help carry on that legacy of the things that he was able to accomplish,” Hunter told Task and Purpose. “The fact that we’re having this conversation, talking about the crazy, cool, impactful things that he did after his injury. I think it’s just an opportunity to carry on the positive impacts that Joe had on other rangers and soldiers.”
