Henry Timothy Vakoc ("VAH-kitch"; January 8, 1960 – June 20, 2009) was an

American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...

priest and

Army chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases, they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...

during the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, attaining the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He was critically injured on May 29, 2004, when his

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

was struck by an IED as he was returning from celebrating

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

for soldiers. He was the first documented U.S. Army chaplain seriously injured during the war.Minnesota Army Chaplain Timothy Vakoc receives Purple Heart"
CatholicMil.org (Catholics in the Military), July 5, 2004. Retrieved 2009-09-13.

Early years

Vakoc was born on January 8, 1960, in

Robbinsdale, Minnesota Robbinsdale is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,646 at the 2020 census. The city is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area and is adjacent to the northwest portion of Minneapolis. Geography ...

. He graduated in 1978 from Benilde-St. Margaret's School, Minneapolis."Humor and Guts: Stories abound about injured priest hero"
CatholicMil.org (Catholics in the Military), June 20, 2004. Retrieved 2009-09-13. He graduated from

St. Cloud State University St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. In the fall of 2023, it ...

, St. Cloud, Minnesota and was a member of

Tau Kappa Epsilon Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternities and sororities, fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, maki ...

fraternity. He was also a member of the fraternity staff, visiting chapters in the midwestern and northeastern United States.

Seminary and priesthood

He attended

Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women on Ca ...

, at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. On May 30, 1992, he was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, for the

Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

. Vakoc's first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Church, in St. Anthony, Minn. (1992–1993). He later served as associate pastor of St. John Neumann Church, in Eagan, Minn. (1993–1996). He left that post to join the Army.

Military service

Vakoc became an Army chaplain in 1996, receiving his commission as a lieutenant in the Army chaplain corps. His first assignment was Garrison Catholic Priest in Heidelberg, Germany. He then was reassigned to Hanau, Germany, During that time he deployed to Bosnia. He was assigned to

Fort Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, El Paso, Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo, Fremont County, Colorado, Fremont, and Huerfano County, Colorado, Huerfano counties, Color ...

, Colo., where he served for three and a half years. He was then assigned as chaplain for the 44th Corps Support Battalion from

Fort Lewis Fort Lewis may refer to: * Fort Lewis (Colorado), a former United States Army post (1878–1891) in the U.S. State of Colorado ** Fort Lewis College, a college in the Durango, Colorado, United States ** Fort Lewis Skyhawks, athletic teams of Fort L ...

, Wash. The 44th provided logistical support to the Fort Lewis-based units in northern Iraq, including the Task Force Olympia headquarters and the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, the Army's first

Stryker The Stryker is a family of Eight-wheel drive, eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in L ...

vehicle brigade. The 44th was sent to Iraq in November 2003. While in Iraq Vakoc endeavored to celebrate Mass for soldiers in the 296th Brigade Support Battalion – stationed in

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

– no matter where they were located, in an area the size of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, sometimes for only two or three soldiers in remote outposts.Drake, Tim
"Chaplain Dies After Being Wounded in Iraq"
(including photo of Vakoc celebrating Mass in the field), NCRegister.com, June 22, 2009. Circle Media, Inc. (National Catholic Register). Retrieved 2009-09-13. In a letter to his sister, Vakoc said, "The safest place for me to be is in the center of God's will, and if that is in the line of fire, that is where I will be." Vakoc was injured on May 29, 2004 – the day before his twelfth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood – while returning from saying Mass for soldiers in the field in Iraq when his Humvee struck a roadside bomb (IED). He sustained a severe brain injury. He was treated at an Army

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile ...

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

and was then evacuated to

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center The Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), also known as Landstuhl Hospital, is a U.S. Army post in Landstuhl, Germany, near Ramstein Air Base. It is an amalgamation of Marceau Kaserne () and Wilson Barracks (''Kirchberg-Kaserne''), which we ...

in Germany. On June 2, 2004, he was transported to

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), officially known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951, was the United States Army, U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in Washington, D.C., it served more ...

, Washington, D.C.

Post-injury

Vakoc received the Purple Heart in his room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center during a private ceremony limited to immediate family members, Army personnel, and then-U.S. Senator

Norm Coleman Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a United States Senate, United States Senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Mi ...

, who presented the medal. Due to the seriousness of Vakoc's injuries and his unstable condition, Coleman was able to expedite the granting of the award. After several months, he was transferred to the Minneapolis VA Medical Center,"Flag Presented to Fr. Vakoc"
CatholicMil.org (Catholics in the Military), June 1, 2005 (posted June 6, 2007). Retrieved 2009-09-13. where he lay in a coma for six months. In the late spring of 2005, he began to show signs of improvement. With the help of the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a special computer was donated so that he could communicate with others. On June 1, 2005, a flag – signed by Vakoc and his unit – was given to him. His first message to the visitors who presented the flag was "TIM 4F" (the military code for unfit for duty) and then "OK".

Death

Vakoc died on June 20, 2009, after a fall at a nursing home in

New Hope, Minnesota New Hope is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 21,986 at the 2020 census. History New Hope was originally a farming community called Hope in Crystal Lake Township. In 1936, rura ...

. His funeral was held at the Cathedral of Saint Paul on June 26, 2009. His body was interred in

Fort Snelling National Cemetery Fort Snelling National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory adjacent to the historic fort and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. It is the only National Cemetery in Minneso ...

, Minneapolis. His death was found to be a result of neglect on the part of two employees who did not securely fasten him into a lift.

Awards and decorations

Vakoc was awarded the following medals: * –

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

–

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

* –

Combat Action Badge The Combat Action Badge (CAB) is a United States military Badges of the United States Army, award given to soldiers of the U.S. Army of any rank and who are not members of an infantry, special forces, or medical MOS, for being "present and active ...

Honors

On June 1, 2007, Vakoc received the 2007 Distinguished Alumnus Award from his alma mater, the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity."Father Tim Vakoc dies; remembered as 'a man of peace'"
CatholicMil.org (Catholics in the Military), June 24, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-13. In spring 2011, the Father H. Timothy Vakoc Council 15269 received its charter from the Supreme Council of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

. The council is located at

, Colorado, and is one of more than 15,342 councils around the world and including 1.9 million members.

Footnotes

References

* "Army Chaplain Lived Vocation", ''The Priest'', September 2009, page 90 (

Our Sunday Visitor Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) is a Catholic publishing company in Huntington, Indiana, which prints the American national weekly newspaper of that name, as well as numerous Catholic periodicals, religious books, pamphlets, catechetical materials, ...

External links

* Pronechen, Joseph
"In Iraq, Soldiers Find Their Greatest Allies in Chaplains"
NCRegister.com, May 30, 2004. Circle Media, Inc. (National Catholic Register). Retrieved 2009-09-13.
Minnesota Army Chaplain Timothy Vakoc receives Purple Heart"
CatholicMil.org (Catholics in the Military), July 5, 2004. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
"Updated on Chaplain Timothy Vakoc"
CatholicMil.org (Catholics in the Military), September 2, 2004. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
"Priest, injured in Iraq, utters first words in over 2 years"
Catholic News Agency, November 9, 2006. Retrieved 2009-09-13. * Lerner, Maura

''Star Tribune'', December 18, 2006. Retrieved 2009-09-13. * ttp://www.catholicmil.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79:army-priest-accepts-his-cross&catid=40:vakoc&Itemid=76 "Army Priest Accepts His Cross" CatholicMil.org (Catholics in the Military), February 28, 2007 (posted March 1, 2007). Retrieved 2009-09-13.
"Chaplain Dies From Iraq War Injuries, Priest Embraced God's Will in Line of Fire"
ZENIT.org, June 22, 2009 (posted on EWTNews,

EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic programming. It is the largest Catholic television network in America, and is purported to be "the world's larges ...

.com, June 23, 2009). ZENIT.org News Agency. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
"Henry Timothy Vakoc / New Hope, Minnesota / June 20, 2009"
Iraq/Afghanistan War Heroes, June 22, 2009. Q Madp, Portland, Ore. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
"Brave Catholic Army chaplain dies from injuries suffered in Iraq"

Catholic News Agency The Catholic News Agency (CNA) is a news service owned by Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) that provides news related to the Catholic Church to a global Anglophone audience. It was founded in 2004 in Denver, Colorado, United States as the ...

, June 23, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-13. * Lerner, Maura
"Hundreds paid respects to the Rev. Timothy Vakoc at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Gravely injured in Iraq in 2004, he died last Saturday at 49"
''

Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the List of newspapers in the United States, seventh- ...

'', June 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-13. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vakoc, H. Timothy 1960 births 2009 deaths People from Robbinsdale, Minnesota People from St. Anthony, Minnesota American military personnel killed in the Iraq War Military personnel from Minnesota Religious leaders from Minnesota Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis United States Army officers United States Army chaplains St. Cloud State University alumni Saint Paul Seminary alumni Catholics from Minnesota 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests United States Army personnel of the Iraq War Burials at Fort Snelling National Cemetery Catholic military chaplains