From Afghanistan to Oregon
May 23, 2025
Hero Cat Saves Soldier’s Life
May 25, 2025Soldier fell for a Tiny Kitten in Korea
Accepting her fate as an orphan, a two-week old Korean kitten, chows down on canned milk, piped to her by medicine dropper with the help of Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor.
The compassionate Marine took care of the kitten after its mother was deadly injured by a mortar barrage near Bunker Hill.
So, what’s the story behind the famous picture of a soldier feeding a tiny Kitten in the batterfield of Korea in 1952?
This tiny little kitten found herself an orphan in the middle of a belic conflict. Luckily, she found her way into the hands of a compassionate Marine.
Sergeant Frank Praytor. adopted the two-week-old kitten and gave her the name “Miss Hap” because, he explained, “she was born at the wrong place at the wrong time”.
There’s a juxtaposition between the soldier and the human. He’s dressed for combat yet he hadn’t lost the ability to care for another living creature.
The photo, taken by Staff Sergeant Martin Riley, while Sergeant Praytor was feeding Miss Hap slightly watered-down canned milk with a medicine dropper went viral years later but what happened after her rescue?
What happened to Miss Hap when Sergeant Praytor went home?
After Sergeant Praytor went home, Miss Hap stayed in Korea and became a mascot in the Division PIO office. Sergeant Praytor saw her one more time when he returned briefly.
Years later, Praytor said: “Miss Hap grew into a big girl who thought I was her father. When I left Korea, I was not in the position of taking her with me but I left her in good hands and when I returned in ’55, she was alive and well.”
In his senior years, Praytor was still saving orphans in his hometown and he had two house cats of his own, Molly and Max.
‘Frank was, first and foremost, a good human being,’ friend and fellow Marine Chas Henry said.
‘That picture of him caring for a kitten lost on the battlefield wasn’t just cute; it captured his character. Beyond that, he was an elegant writer and master communication strategist. I was fortunate to be able to count him both a mentor and friend’ he added.
Frank Praytor passed away at the age of 90 in his Albuquerque, New Mexico home on January 10, 2018 after having severe health problems for several years.
Read the story of a hero cat who saved a soldier’s life in Afghanistan!
