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Desmond T. Doss

by Jack Horton from San Diego, California in United States

Desmond T. Doss is a war hero. This Medal of Honor recipient was able to save at least 75 people at Okinawa in 1945 during World War II. He not only saved all of those people in one night, he did it alone and on enemy lines. He is a Seventh Day Adventist and was enlisted in the U.S. army from 1942-1946. He fought in Guam, Leyte, and, most famously in Okinawa, or Hacksaw Ridge. He was a medic throughout the war but would never carry a gun since he was committed to never hurting another human being. He was teased throughout training camp for being unable to hold a gun because of his religion and went from being called a conscientious objector to a war hero. A hero must be selfless and devout, or true to themselves. To be selfless is to put others first and make sure they are safe before yourself. To be devout is to be true to yourself and what you believe in, like religion. It has to be a large part of your life. Desmond T. Doss was a devout Christian and a selfless, helpful person, and this caused him to become a hero.

120581Desmond Doss receiving the medal of honor from Harry S. TrumanDesmonddoss.com 

 

Desmond T. Doss was selfless in the time he served by putting others first when helping many American soldiers and risking his life to let them have a chance at survival. He spent the war helping others as a medic and, even when gravely injured, he would let others be treated before himself. “During a night attack, while tending to wounded GIs, Doss was hit in both legs by grenade shrapnel. Rather than draw other medics away, he dressed his own wounds. Five hours later, while finally being carried from the battlefield on a stretcher, Doss got off and directed other medics to help a more seriously wounded soldier, only to be struck in the arm by enemy fire. Using a broken rifle stock as a makeshift splint, he crawled some 300 yards to an aid station” (Leepson, Marc). Most people have the trait to try and save themselves in bad situations. You can even call them selfish for doing so. Even though a lot would act selfish, Doss stood out and would let others get help, even if he was injured or in danger. Desmond T. Doss’s ultimate sacrifice could have resulted in his death. This is an example of Doss being selfless, for he risked his life and safety to let others survive. He made many historic stories on the battlefield, in which one of them was on the 350 foot tall Okinawa escarpment. “The 77th Infantry arrived on Okinawa on April 28 and immediately jumped in against the dug-in Japanese. From April 29 to May 21, Doss was in the thick of battle, tending the wounded. That first day he was credited with rescuing some 75 men pinned down by artillery, mortar and machine-gun file atop a 350-foot escarpment known as Hacksaw Ridge” (Leepson, Marc). Desmond T. Doss spent the night of April 29 tending the wounded when he was alone and had nothing to protect himself. As the U.S. Army retreated off the edge of Hacksaw Ridge, Desmond T. Doss stayed on the cliff since he knew there were people who needed help. He decided that he should not fall back when there were fellow injured comrades on the battlefield. One by one he helped each injured soldier down off the cliff’s edge, despite being alone and defenseless. Without Doss, the Japanese would have taken over the Maeda escarpment and killed all of the U.S. soldiers. He was in the war to help others live and to make sure they had the best chance of survival when injured. He would help any person possible on the battlefield even if he was defenseless and outnumbered. He gave up on no one that needed his help and wanted every American to survive the war.

 

120641American Soldiers in World War IIWarfareHistoryNetwork.com 

 

Desmond T. Doss was a devout Christian and made sure what happened in the war would not change who he was. As a Seventh Day Adventist, he was observant on Saturdays. Doss himself described, “We prayed to the Sabbath that the Lord would find a way for me to practice my faith without letting down my country” (Malone, Patrick). His devoutness for Christianity made him do his job well in the war and helped him to become a hero. “he was a pacifist who lived his life precisely the way he'd been taught in church. When weapons were issued during his early days in the Army, he refused to accept a rifle on religious grounds” (Malone). Desmond T. Doss wanted to help out the U.S. in World War II; however, he did not want to hurt another human and could not do many things including holding a gun. Therefore he wanted to serve his part without disregarding his religion. He became a combat medic and saved many people in the thick of the battle but would never injure any person on the battlefield. He prayed and practiced his religion many times a day. At training camp, Doss was teased and made fun of for not holding a gun, but he stuck to his religious beliefs. By the time the war started and they had lost many soldiers, his comrades came to him to let him pray with or for them. “Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1919, Doss was raised as a Seventh-Day Adventist. He was fascinated by a picture in the family home of Cain standing over the dead body of Abel. This, he said, made him determine never to take a human life…devoutly religious conscientious objector whose childhood ambition was to become a doctor or missionary.” (Leepson, Marc). Despite the cruel circumstances of the war, Doss never stopped praying or doing religious practices. For that reason he would not smoke, drink, eat meat or carry a weapon. He was committed to helping the U.S. throughout the war and stayed true to what he believed in. Even after the war, Doss would help other people in his community and volunteer to teach other Seventh Day Adventists about their religion. He would also tell them stories about his life to inspire them. Desmond T. Doss continues to be a hero and a role model for future generations.

 

120669Soldiers at Hacksaw Ridgethesun.co.uk 

Desmond T. Doss would risk his life to put others first and used his commitment to himself and his religion to help many people throughout the war. Doss would go beyond other medics to give people the best chance for survival and would give up on no one. He would make sure that anyone who was injured had the best chance to live with his help. He would use his commitment to Christianity to make sure he would never injure another person and that he would help any person in need. Desmond T. Doss can inspire us to never take someone's life or cause harm. He can inspire us to be true to who we are and what we believe in. He can inspire us to never back down and stay strong through the thick and thin. He can inspire us to help others in any way possible and be who we are meant to be.

Page created on 2/14/2018 8:28:25 PM

Last edited 2/17/2018 12:16:26 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Home Of Heroes - Shows Desmond Doss in the war and what he believed in. Also shows how much he cared about christanity
adventist.org - Shows what an Adventist is, about his medal of honor and what he would say think during the war or in everyday life.
military.com - Shows Desmond Doss's story in the war and what he did in the military