Desmond Doss

His religious principles prevented him from killing or carrying a weapon, but Desmond Doss was no coward. When World War II began, he volunteered to serve as a medic and was deployed to the South Pacific.

Because of his piety and his refusal to carry a gun, Doss was ridiculed and abused by officers and fellow soldiers. But when his company entered combat, he proved his mettle and soon won their respect, earning two bronze stars in 1944 for exceptional valor aiding wounded soldiers under fire during the Battles of Guam and Leyte.

In May 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa, a sudden Japanese counterattack drove back the American forces trying to capture the Maeda Escarpment (which the GI’s called “Hacksaw Ridge”). The retreating Americans were forced to leave their wounded behind, but in disregard of the order to retreat, Desmond Doss stayed behind and personally rescued 75 wounded soldiers. A few days later a Japanese grenade exploded in his foxhole, leaving Desmond severely wounded with 17 pieces of shrapnel in his body. As he tried to crawl to safety, he was shot by a Japanese sniper, fracturing his left arm. Desmond was eventually evacuated, but not before insisting that litter-bearers take another wounded soldier first.

For his selfless valor on Okinawa, Desmond Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first conscientious objector ever to receive the nation’s highest military honor. When President Truman hung the medal around Desmond’s neck on October 12, 1945 he said, “I’m proud of you. I consider this a greater honor than being President.”

Desmond Doss was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 7, 1919.