Father Corapi enlisted in the United States Army and was a member of the Special Forces - an elite unit if there ever was one. He related the story of being dropped in the swamps of Florida for two weeks with little more than the uniform he had on and a backpack.
He looked forward to it! Fr. Corapi's unit was scheduled to go to Vietnam. Fr. Corapi was injured in a training exercise in Panama and was laid up for a long time. I believe most of the members of his unit were killed.
It took a while for it to sink in, but Fr. Corapi's preaching style - clear, direct, no nonsense - has to draw from his military background.
When we went to see and hear him preach, most there were older than me (I'm almost 43), but not everyone. Perhaps Fr. Corapi's work has led to more priestly vocations.
