Desmond Doss

Desmond when he enlisted.en.wikipedia.org 

When someone earns a Medal of Honor, it’s only for one heroic action. Desmond Doss performed 3 heroic actions, but was only recognized for one! Doss was born on February 7, 1919. He was a private first class of the 77th U.S. Army Division who served during World War 2. He was raised as a Seventh-day Adventist Church member. Ever since he was a young boy, he always cared for people doing worse than him. Doss is famously known for saving 75 soldiers in the Battle of Hacksaw Ridge. He risked his life for 12 hours saving soldier after soldier without carrying a single weapon. He even went out of his way to help an enemy soldier, as he respected all life. He also saved many soldiers on the journey to Hacksaw Ridge such as Guam and the Philippines. Doss had always loved Lynchburg, Virginia as he had done everything there, until he went to the war. There he fought in Japan, where the majority of the major events happened in his life. Unfortunately, the vet died in March 23, 2006 due to cancer he contracted from having tuberculosis in Japan. All of Doss’s important life events took place in 1944 through 1945, as this was the year he was stationed in Japan to fight against the Japanese army. Also, it was important that he cared and nurtured people during his childhood. Desmond Doss has the traits of selflessness and hopefulness making him a hero.

During World War 2, Doss could arguably be the most selfless soldier as he always put his men first. “While three other soldiers in Company B of the 307th Infantry scrambled for shelter in a foxhole, Army Company Aid Man, Private First Class Desmond Doss attempted to kick the deadly projectile away with his heavy combat boot. He had only one thought in his mind, and that was to protect his beloved men. Desmond did not care about himself as he put his men first so that they can return home to their families. Doss lowered down the ridge on a stretcher in his bloodied military uniform after his heroics. ‘It's the moment where Desmond gets the message that his duty there is over,’ Garfield says later. ‘He got a message from his god saying that's enough, you've exhausted yourself. I'm taking you out. You've done what I had planned for you’”. Doss fought until he could not fight anymore. He tried to do everything in his power he could, saving so many lives, and becoming such an amazing figure in the military. “Doss, a combat medic in World War II who was a conscientious objector and refused to carry a weapon in combat, received the Medal of Honor after saving the lives of more than 70 soldiers during a battle on the island of Okinawa in 1945” Doss knew everyone had a life, so he made sure to preserve it by not harming a life and saving the lives of fellow soldiers. He didn't want to ruin something so precious to someone. Doss’s selflessness is apart of what makes him a true hero in the eyes of many.

Doss after getting Medal of Honorhttp://desmonddoss.com/bio/Doss was one of the most faithful men during war, and he never gave up in his beliefs through hard times. “Before the declaration of war, Doss had registered as a conscientious objector, or 1AO status as it was defined by the Army. At first, Doss was against such a designation. He had always linked conscientious objectors with sedition and unpatriotic attitudes. He felt he was anything but that. He wanted to serve his country by caring for the sick and wounded, and bristled at the thought that he would be associated with less honorable men. Despite his unwavering belief in the Sixth Commandment, and his strong Seventh Day Adventist conviction of observing the Sabbath on Saturday,” Doss was very religious. He grew up in a very religious town and family. This grew on him as he followed his religious rules in the military. This also fuels him to be like Christ and save. He wants to follow each and every commandment to be a true role model to the world. “[...]but the exhausted and wounded medic refuses to go until his lost Bible, a gift from his sweetheart, is retrieved from the battlefield.” His wife had given him a bible that he constantly used. He kept it as an escape from reality as he would read it in the downtime of war. This bible reminded him of who he was meant to be, because he marked the parts that truly inspired him. “Doss served as a U.S. Army medic, and in keeping with his Adventist beliefs he refused to work on Saturday, his denomination's Sabbath, or carry a gun” As part of his religion, he never worked on Saturday's as the lord healed on Saturday. This was symbolism for him as he healed everyone he could that day. He tried his best to save as any people as he can so they can go back and life the rest of their lives. “[...]and I had looked at that picture of the sixth commandment: ‘Thou Shall Not Kill’ Because the picture had Cain, who’d killed his brother, Abel. And I wondered how in the world could a brother do such a thing?” Doss saw this picture as a sign telling him that he should not kill in order to have a successful life and do great things. He would forever follow this rule into war in order to save lives. Using his faith in his religion, he would go out and save the people who needed it, supporting his brothers, and making sure everyone goes home in the end.

"’He went to the worst place on earth: Okinawa was a bloodbath, the highest death toll in the Pacific with the Japanese and he did things that were miraculous just by himself. When nobody else would go in there, he went in there and he saved 75 guys in, like, one night. One at a time, under fire, and he did that again and again in the Philippines and Guam. Most Medal of Honor winners, they'll do things in an instant. It's a decision they make and they do something insanely courageous and heroic. But with this man, it wasn't an instant. It was over and over again’”. Doss not only went in and saved one person one at a time dragging them to safety, but he did it over and over again. He did not give up in his beliefs and tried with all his strength to save his friends. He did this 3 times over the course of World War 2. He did it in Guam, Philippines, and Okinawa.  He never gave up after the horrors he had been through. He saved true to his word and became the guardian angel to his division.

Works Cited

"Courage under fire." Sydney Morning Herald [Sydney, Australia], 29 Oct. 2016, p. 12. Student Resources in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A513531580/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=7aeb5a6e. Accessed 29 Jan. 2018.

"Desmond T. Doss Sr." The Christian Century, vol. 123, no. 8, 2006, p. 19. Student Resources in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A145065469/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=20e88c73. Accessed 29 Jan. 2018.

"In His Own Words: Watch Hacksaw Ridge Hero and Medal of Honor Recipient Desmond Doss Tell His Story." PR Newswire, 7 Nov. 2016. Student Resources in Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A469246507/SUIC?u=powa9245&xid=42b65eb2. Accessed 29 Jan. 2018.

Telzrow, Michael E. "Desmond Doss." New American (08856540), vol. 32, no. 21, 11/7/2016, pp. 34-38. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=119315196&site=ehost-live.