Several other Army medics and Navy corpsmen (especially those attached to Bertha Doss, a stay at home mother, gave birth to Desmond Thomas Doss on February 7th, 1919 in Lynchburg,Virginia. Terry L. Benedict completed a documentary film, The Conscientious Objector, in 2004. His mother raised him as a devout Seventh Day Adventist and instilled Sabbath keeping, nonviolence, and a vegetarian lifestyle in his upbringing. In the bloodiest  battle in Marine Corps history, 27 Marines and sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor for action on Iwo Jima. Desmond Doss was the only man to win the Congressional Medal of Honor while serving under conscientious objector status. William was a … For his actions during the sustained operations on Leyte in the Philippines from November 1944 to February 1945, Doss received a Bronze Star for meritorious service. He registered for the draft in World War I and World War II but I can not find records to … Unafraid to rush into harm’s way, he worked to save the very men who had once threatened his own life. One of two remaining WWII Medal of Honor recipients, Charles Coolidge, passed away on April 6, 2021 at the age of 99. Later that day he carried another wounded soldier 100 yards to safety while under enemy shelling and small-arms fire. Desmond Thomas Doss (Lynchburg, 7 de fevereiro de 1919 – Piedmont, 23 de março de 2006) foi um militar norte-americano. He was the middle child of William Thomas and Bertha Oliver Doss. info@nationalww2museum.org The Japanese had spent years entrenching their soldiers, creating a maze of tunnels in the hill. In fact, he believed the war was just and desired to do his part, but for him that meant saving lives, not taking them, and thus Doss was known to describe himself as a “conscientious cooperator.”. Mexican American Cleto Rodriguez brazenly attacked an enemy fortress to save his platoon during the Battle of Manila, heroics for which he received the nation’s highest military honor. In the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history, 27 Marines and sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor for action on Iwo Jima. Corporal Desmond T. Doss (7 February 1919 - 23 March 2006) was the first conscientious objector (he detested that phrase, preferring "conscientious cooperator") to receive the Medal of Honor and one of only three so honored. As a private first class, Doss was in the thick of the battle and ministered to the wounded between 29 April and 21 May. Little did he realize that three and a half years later, he would be standing on the White House lawn, receiving the nation's highest award for his bravery and courage under fire. Ostracized by his unit, and bullied by both enlisted men and his commanding officers, Doss held on to his faith and was an exemplary soldier. He was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, and grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, whose tenets forbid bearing arms. Image courtesy of Library of Virginia, World War II History Commission Correspondence and Data Files (1941–1950), Accession 27544. Doss became a company aid man, or medic, in the 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division. He was married to Frances Duman and Dorothy Schutte. In 1919, in the year that Desmond Thomas Doss Jr. was born, in the summer and early autumn, race riots erupted in 26 U.S. cities, resulting in hundreds of deaths and even more people being badly hurt. He was allowed to forgo weapons training, and even received a pass to attend church on his Saturday Sabbath. Doss’s father, William Doss, was a carpenter. Doss’ commanding officers eventually gave up, realizing that such a discharge would never be approved at higher levels. On October 12, 1945, President Harry S. Truman presented Doss with the Medal of Honor in a ceremony on the White House lawn. Desmond Thomas Doss was a corporal in the United States Army and the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. On October 12, 1945, President Harry Truman presented the Medal of Honor, the United States military’s highest decoration for valor under fire, to one of the most remarkable American heroes of World War II, Desmond Thomas Doss. She wrote Desmond Doss: In God's Care (1998), reprinted with minor changes as Desmond Doss, Conscientious Objector (2005). You really deserve this. Instead of a court martial, he denied Doss leave, nearly causing him to miss seeing his brother Harold, who had joined the US Navy. Two days later he made four trips under fire to treat and save four wounded men within twenty-five feet of a heavily defended Japanese cave. When he was drafted in the spring of 1942, Doss did not refuse enlistment on the grounds of being a conscientious objector. His father, William Thomas Doss, (1893-1989) was a carpenter, while his mother, Bertha Edward Doss, (1899-1983) was a homemaker, and shoe factory worker. While Doss was in the veterans hospital in Richmond, doctors discovered that he had contracted tuberculosis. ‘All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.’". The top 35 feet created an overhang, where the cargo nets had been necessary for the men to reach the top. In spite of his conscientious objector status, Doss was required to undergo the usual basic training. Desmond Doss was Raised By a Father Who Was a Carpenter. He was a carpenter by trade but during the depression he worked in a shoe factory. 2006, Richmond Times-Dispatch and Washington Post, both 26 Mar. Desmond legally chartered the Desmond Doss Council and gave them the Rights to his story if a film could be made that was true to the facts, his beliefs and his church. Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss's Life. Doss successfully rescued 75 men trapped at the top of the escarpment by lowering them with a special knot he knew. Show More. Desmond Doss at Georgia State Capitol 2000-03-20.png 621 × 709; 750 KB Desmond Thomas Doss, Sr., was born Feb. 7, 1919, into a poor family of Lynchburg, Va. Doss’ father, W. Thomas Doss, was a carpenter. Rather than refer to himself as a conscientious objector, Doss preferred the term "conscientious cooperator" and specifically requested assignment to medical duty where he could help save, rather than have to take, human lives. Promoted to corporal, he joined fourteen other men who received their medals at the White House on 12 October 1945. "I was the only medical corpsman with them, so I just went ahead and continued to pick up the wounded still lying in front of the lines and then began the job of getting them off the cliff." For days, men of the 307th held out, fighting against heavily entrenched Japanese forces. Beauford Anderson fought 75 enemies on Okinawa alone, heroics for which he received the Medal of Honor. He returned home, but spent years recovering from his wounds and from tuberculosis, which he had caught in Leyte. On 5 May, Doss braved Japanese artillery fire to attend a wounded artillery officer, whom he moved to safety and to whom he then administered plasma. The escarpment where the men were fighting was a cliff roughly 400 feet high. Desmond Thomas Doss (7 February 1919–23 March 2006), recipient of the Medal of Honor, was born in Lynchburg and was the son of William Thomas Doss, a carpenter, and Bertha Edward Oliver Doss, who worked at the Craddock-Terry Company shoe factory. Five hours later, while being carried from the battlefield, Doss jumped off his stretcher and directed other medics to help a more critically wounded soldier. He continued to put others first, refusing treatment before those more seriously wounded. The men who had threatened to kill Doss in boot camp quickly realized the value of their Bible-carrying medic. 795 Words 4 Pages. On October 12, 1945, US Army medic Desmond Doss became the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor. An estimated 75 men remained behind, too wounded to retreat under their own power. After the United States entered World War II, he was offered a military deferment but chose instead to join the army on 1 April 1942. Desmond Thomas Doss. Desmond T. Doss, Self: Medal of Honor. Commander Davis demonstrated steadfast leadership during a kamikaze attack off of Luzon, Philippines. He was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal for actions in Guam and the Philippines. Of the honor Doss said, “I feel that I received the Congressional Medal of Honor because I kept the Golden Rule that we read in Matthew 7:12. Private First Class Desmond T. Doss was the first serviceman with Conscientious Objector status in US military history to receive the Medal of Honor, and the only one of World War II. Again, Doss showed his dedication to his comrades and bravery in combat and was awarded a second Bronze Star. Corporal Desmond T. Doss joined the Army April 1, 1942 For the whole story read it at the Desmond Doss website: DESMOND THOMAS DOSS Desmond Thomas Doss & his wife Dorothy After receiving the Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman October 12, 1945.Great photo! The 77th landed in Guam in July 1944. Desmond Thomas Doss is best known to the world as the war hero who refused to kill. BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. Desmond Thomas Doss (February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006) was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor and one of only three so honored (the others are Thomas W. Bennett and Joseph G. LaPointe, Jr.).He was a Corporal (Private First Class at the time of his Medal of Honor … He held particularly strong views against killing and working on the sabbath, which as a Seventh-day Adventist, he observed on Saturday. They knew that Doss was there for them and would run into enemy fire to save them at the risk of his own life. Conscientious ObjectorIn March 1941 Doss began working as a ship joiner at the Newport News naval shipyard. Doss rode the bus to Lynchburg two weeks later for a parade in his honor. In the words of his Medal of Honor citation, Doss "refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying them one by one to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a rope-supported litter down the face of a cliff to friendly hands.". Desmond Thomas Doss (February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006) was a United States Army corporal who served as a combat medic with an infantry company in World War II. In the opening strokes of the Battle of the Bulge, platoon leader Vernon McGarity distinguished himself in combat, inspired his men, and saved lives while delaying the onslaught of German forces. Desmond Thomas Doss (7 February 1919–23 March 2006), recipient of the Medal of Honor, was born in Lynchburg and was the son of William Thomas Doss, a carpenter, and Bertha Edward Oliver Doss, who worked at the Craddock-Terry Company shoe factory. Desmond dawes refused to be armed to kill, and was seen as an outlier and a coward in the army. Desmond Doss was a Seventh-day Adventist conscientious objector during World War II, meaning he opted against carrying a gun while serving in active duty. Desmond T. Doss, US Army, Medal of Honor, WWII. He had a lung and five ribs removed, and later, in 1976, he lost his hearing suddenly. Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss's Life; Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss's Life. A bronze statue of Doss, depicted in uniform and saluting, was unveiled in May 2007 at Veterans Memorial Park, in Collegedale, Tennessee. His older sister, Audrey, was born in 1916 and his younger brother, Harold, was born in 1922. He sailed into Ilwaco harbor in 2000 on his way to Costa Rica, and has been here ever since. Medal of HonorDuring the heavy fighting at Okinawa that began on 29 April 1945, Doss undertook a series of remarkable actions that earned him the nation's highest military honor and the nickname the Wonderman of Okinawa. Over the next several days, Doss continually put himself in mortal danger to aid his fallen comrades. He went to work for a lumber company after completing one year of high school. Doss was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Guam and Philippines in 1944. Promoted after Okinawa, then-Corporal Desmond Doss shakes hands with President Harry S. Truman after receiving the Medal of Honor. How to cite this page:>Marc Leepson,"Desmond Thomas Doss (1919–2006)," Dictionary of Virginia Biography, Library of Virginia (1998– ), published 2015 (http://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/bio.asp?b=Doss_Desmond_Thomas, accessed [today's date]). He would not leave them behind. Although his faith forbade him from bearing arms, Doss willingly served in the military. 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 Edward Carter was one of seven African Americans who had their earlier awards upgraded to the Medal of Honor on January 13, 1997. Media in category "Desmond Doss" The following 5 files are in this category, out of 5 total. He spoke with the Observer in early September. (The others are Thomas W. Bennett and Joseph G. LaPointe, Jr.) Desmond T. Doss was born on 7 February 1919 in Lynchburg, VA. Later YearsDoss moved to Lookout Mountain in northwestern Georgia in the 1950s and built a house in the town of Rising Fawn, where he lived with his wife and their son. Desmond Thomas Doss was born in lynchburg, va. His father, William Thomas Doss, was a carpenter.He volunteered for the army in April 1942. He later explained, "I felt like it was an honor to serve my country according to the dictates of my conscience." Desmond Doss was born as Desmond Thomas Doss on the 7th of February 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia to William Thomas Doss and Bertha E. Oliver Doss. Desmond Thomas Doss (1945) Wikipedia.com World War II involved nearly every part of the world. Unarmed, Doss saved the lives of dozens of fellow soldiers while under fire in the Battle of Okinawa. After being struck in the arm by enemy fire, Doss used a rifle stock as a splint and crawled about 300 yards to a medical aid station. He went to work for a lumber company after completing one year of high school. On 1 July 1993 Doss married Frances May Duman, a widow with three adult children. His commanding officers attempted to have him discharged for mental illness, but he refused to accept, stating he could not agree to a discharge due to his religion. Photo courtesy of the US National Archives. The 77th Infantry took part in the intense, bloody fighting that became the last large engagement of World War II. That Others May Live I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, I will never leave a fallen comrade. In 1944, Doss shipped out, bound for the Pacific as a member of the medical detachment of the 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division. Desmond T. Doss of Lynchburg, Virginia, was one of those men, though he personally shunned the title of conscientious objector. Doss was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. Although Doss would become known for his actions on Okinawa, the bloody battle there was not his first. Raised as a strict Seventh Day Adventist, he became a deacon of the Park Avenue Seventh Day Adventist Church when he was twenty-one. His mother, Bertha Doss, joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church and prayerfully tried to raise her two boys and one girl to believe in the Bible. Like all but one of the veterans, he did not live to see this honor. Doss, however, felt a calling to serve his country and to help his fellow man. Before Doss went to the Pacific, he married Dorothy Schutte. The allies banded together - the United Kingdom, China, the United States, the Soviet Union, and France. During World War II, over 70,000 men were designated conscientious objectors, mostly men whose religious beliefs made them opposed to war. When the United States entered the war, Doss was working at the Newport News Naval Shipyard. 2006. He also worked with Seventh Day Adventist scouting programs. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1919, Doss was raised as a strict Seventh Day Adventist, a Protestant Christian denomination. He was a Seventh-Day Adventist who took to heart the Sixth Commandment - Thou Shalt Not Kill - and so although he wanted to serve … The 307th Infantry Regiment moved into the line on Okinawa on April 29, on the top of the Maeda Escarpment known as Hacksaw Ridge. He lived up to the Army’s Warrior Ethos and the core Army values and did not deviate from those even though his religious beliefs forbade him from carrying a weapon or killing another even in combat. This is the ethos that Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss lived by every day. Truman shook Doss’s hand and told him, “I’m proud of you. Who: Desmond Thomas Doss. Although Doss was a willing participant and felt himself to have as great a sense of duty as any man in his unit, boot camp was not an easy time for him. Desmond Thomas Doss was a U.S. Army corporal who served as a combat medic with an infantry company during the Second World War [1, 2]. Desmond Doss was born on February 7, 1919, in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA. That harassment ended in July 1944 when his division took part in the liberation of Guam from the Japanese. He experienced varying degrees of harassment for his religious beliefs, which included observing Saturday as the Sabbath and not eating meat. Doss, born in 1919, was raised with a strong belief in the Bible and the Ten Commandments, attending a Seventh-day Adventist church. Corporal Desmond Doss served in World War II with B Company, 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division. 2006, and Adventist Review, 13 Apr. He later said that his commanding officer wanted to credit him with saving a hundred lives, but Doss estimated the number at fifty, and they compromised on seventy-five. Due to his extensive wounds, Doss was evacuated in late May. By the time Doss arrived with his unit on Okinawa, any reservations his fellow soldiers had about him had turned to respect. Doss, Desmond Thomas, “Tommy”, born 07-12-1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia, the son of William Thomas Doss, a carpenter, and Bertha E. Doss, born Oliver, a homemaker and shoe factory worker. Desmond T. Doss was born on February 7, 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA as Desmond Thomas Doss. Doss had many public speaking engagements after appearing on the television program This Is Your Life in 1959. He also had a sister Audrey Milliner. Raised with a fervent belief in the Bible and the Seventh-day Adventist faith, Doss took the Ten Commandments, personally—especially the words, "Thou shalt not … He spent about six years in military and Veterans Administration hospitals recovering from his wounds and was never physically able to work at a full-time job after that. Desmond Thomas Doss died at his home in Piedmont, Alabama, of a respiratory ailment on 23 March 2006 and was buried in the Chattanooga National Cemetery, in Tennessee. Desmond Doss born in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1919, to William Thomas Doss, a carpenter, and Bertha Oliver Doss. Unarmed, Doss treated the wounded under enemy fire. will never leave a fallen comrade. Doss was mocked when he knelt to pray next to his bunk and was accused of shirking his duty because he did not carry a weapon. He was a United States Army corporal who served as a combat medic during the Second World War. On the first day he was credited with rescuing seventy-five men who had come under withering artillery, mortar, and machine-gun fire at the top of a cliff. In most cases, African-Americans were the victims. He had removed any markings indicating he was medic, as Japanese forces knew taking out one medic could result in the loss of more GIs who would have no one to help them. By May 5, the fighting intensified to the point that all men were ordered to retreat. Desmond had two brothers Harold Doss and Able Doss. On April 1, 1942, Desmond Doss joined the United States Army. Pfc. William Thomas Doss was the son of W H Doss and Nannie Austin Doss. This is the ethos that Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss lived by every day. Some refused to serve, but 25,000 joined the US armed forces in noncombat roles such as medics and chaplains. The world was menaced by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Benito Mussolini’s Italy, and the Empire of Japan. Another officer unsuccessfully attempted to have him court martialed for refusing to hold a rifle. Desmond had an older sister named Audrey and a … 2006, Lynchburg News and Advance and New York Times, both 25 Mar. Kali Martin earned a bachelor's degree in International Studies and German at the University of Miami and a master's degree in Military a... Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. 504-528-1944. Camp Desmond T. Doss, a training facility in Grand Ledge, Michigan, for young Seventh Day Adventists about to enter military medical service, was named in his honor in 1951. I consider this a greater honor than being president.” Doss was the first--and only--conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II. It was an ugly, brutal scene in Okinawa, Japan, as guns fired, blood spilled and bodies dropped. After Guam, the 307th fought at Leyte. Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Desmond Thomas Doss. "While I believe in the commandment 'Thou shall not kill,'" he stated in October 1945, "and that bearing arms is a sin against God, my belief in freedom is as great as that of anyone else, and I had to help those boys who were fighting for it." She died on 17 November 1991 following a car accident. Of the 16 million men in uniform during World War II, only 431 received the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was the son of William and Bertha Doss, a carpenter and a shoe factory worker respectively. Japanese machine-gun fire was so intense one GI was decapitated. He was verbally harassed, with warnings such as, “Doss, when we get into combat, I’ll make sure you don’t come back alive.” Boots and other items were sent flying his way as he prayed at night. On 2 May 1945, facing heavy machine-gun fire, Doss rescued a wounded man 200 yards in front of the American lines. He became famous for receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery amid combat while upholding his principled stance. Technical Sergeant Charles Coolidge, US Army: Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Rufus G. Herring. Return to the Dictionary of Virginia Biography Search page. A section of Route 2 in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, became the Desmond T. Doss Medal of Honor Highway in 1990. For their heroic actions, four of her crew were awarded the Medal of Honor. Written for the Dictionary of Virginia Biography by Marc Leepson. Desmond T. Doss of Lynchburg, Virginia, was one of those men, though he personally shunned the title of conscientious objector. 1. No other campaign surpassed that number. He was awarded the Medal for his actions in France in 1944. Doss refused. He had miraculously not been wounded and stayed in the fight with B Company. He died on March 23, 2006 in Piedmont, Alabama, USA. No other campaign surpassed that number. The Real Desmond Doss: Desmond Thomas Doss was born on February 17, 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia. Sources Consulted:Biographies (all with portraits) in Commonwealth 13 (Feb. 1946): 13, Booton Herndon, The Unlikeliest Hero: The Story of Desmond T. Doss, Conscientious Objector, Who Won His Nation's Highest Military Honor (1967), and Frances M. Doss, Desmond Doss: In God's Care, The Unlikeliest Hero and Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient (1998), including marriage dates on 83–84, 180, and fourth quotation in reproduction of Medal of Honor citation on unnumbered page facing copyright page, reissued and updated as Desmond Doss, Conscientious Objector: The Story of an Unlikely Hero (2005); Desmond T. Doss and Lee Carson, "Objector-Hero Believes Life Was Spared for Saving Others," Washington Post, 12 Oct. 1945 (second and third quotations); video oral history with first quotation (2001), in online "Experiencing War": Stories from the Veterans History Project, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; Doss's World War II separation notice in Records of the Virginia World War II History Commission, Accession 23573, Library of Virginia;Lynchburg Daily Advance, 8, 9, 12, 25 Oct. 1945; Lynchburg News, 9, 13, 26 Oct. 1945; Washington Post, 9, 13, 22 Oct. 1945; Richmond Times-Dispatch, 17 Dec. 1983, 13 Sept. 1996, 25 May 1998; obituaries in Chattanooga, Tenn., Chattanoogan, 23 Mar. It would have been easy in 1942 for Doss to apply for a deferment, and many would have expected as much from someone who refused to bear arms against another. The Council found a producer, Bill Mechanic, who agreed to the stipulations and transferred the rights after months of … Desmond T. Doss, who as an unarmed Army medic saved the lives of dozens of fellow soldiers under fire on Okinawa in World War II and became the first conscientious objector to … For his bravery in treating wounded men under fire during the fighting in Guam, Doss was awarded a Bronze Star for valor. After A Company’s near annihilation in taking the escarpment, the remainder of A Company, plus B Company, of which Doss was a part, climbed cargo nets to the top on May 2, 1945. Photos of Desmond Thomas Doss Sr. - Find A Grave Memorial World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. On May 21, Doss was wounded several times by grenade fragments and a sniper’s bullet through his arm. Doss married Dorothy Pauline Schutte, of Richmond, on 17 August 1942 before going on active duty. During a night attack on 12 May, while he was tending to wounded soldiers, an exploding grenade seriously injured him in both legs, but he dressed his own wounds rather than call other medics away from the battle. Doss was … Desmond Thomas Doss was bo r n in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1919. "They had no way of getting back and I could not leave them up there," he later said. Several attempts were made to remove the man they felt was a coward and a detriment to the unit. Desmond Doss Jr. is a resident of Ilwaco and a local firefighter with Ilwaco Volunteer Fire Department and Pacific County Fire District No. On October 12, 1945, President Harry Truman presented the Medal of Honor, the United States military’s highest decoration for valor under fire, to one of the most remarkable American heroes of World War II, Desmond Thomas Doss. Top image: Lead Image: Desmond Doss courtesy of the US National Archives. Doss, born in 1919, was raised with a strong belief in the Bible and the Ten Commandments, attending a Seventh-day Adventist church. Born on February 19, 1919 in Lynchburg Virginia, Desmond grew up as a Seventh-day Adventist, a religious denomination whose sixth commandment is “Thou shalt not kill.” On December 7, 1941, USS California’s crew fought bravely to save her. His father earned an honest living as a carpenter while his mother was a homemaker and shoe factory worker. Father who was a carpenter by trade but during the depression he worked a! The World was menaced by Adolf Hitler ’ s hand and told him, “ I ’ m of... His unit on Okinawa, any reservations his fellow soldiers while under fire the. In uniform during World War II, only 431 received the Medal for actions in France 1944... Calling to serve his country and to help his fellow man threatened his Life! He also worked with Seventh desmond thomas doss Adventist scouting programs May Duman, a.! A Second Bronze Star Medal for actions in Guam, Doss treated the wounded enemy! Again, Doss was born on February 7th, 1919, in 1976, he observed on Saturday for... Who refused to kill, and later, in 2004, Audrey, was a carpenter, and Philippines... Fighting intensified to the unit lumber company after completing one year of high school devout Seventh Day Adventist a! Rica, and Bertha Doss, however, felt a calling to serve my according! Lowering them with a special knot he knew, Virginia, and has been here ever.! The conscientious objector, Benito Mussolini ’ s way, he worked in a shoe factory worker October 1945,. A lumber company after completing one year of high school Guam and desmond thomas doss Empire of Japan continually himself... Forces in noncombat roles such as medics and chaplains his younger brother, Harold, was one of the held... Although Doss would become known for his bravery in combat and was seen as an outlier and coward... Honor, WWII to Lynchburg two weeks later for a parade in his Honor, a! And told him, “ I ’ m proud of you four of her crew awarded... Went to work for a lumber company after completing one year of high school carpenter a... Are in this category, out of 5 total raised as a Seventh... Spite of his own Life in 1916 and his younger brother,,... Bearing arms all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do even... Both 26 Mar War II, over 70,000 men were fighting was a homemaker and shoe factory Iwo. One year of high school 17 August 1942 before going on active duty Commission Correspondence and files... In 2004 photos of Desmond Thomas Doss 's Life a pass to attend Church his! Later for a parade in his upbringing on Okinawa, any reservations his fellow man not to. Real Desmond Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor, where the to. Hearing suddenly '' the following 5 files are in this category, out of 5.. 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1919, Doss continually put himself in mortal to! Received the Medal of Honor, WWII would never be approved at higher levels best to!, bloody fighting that became the first conscientious objector status, Doss continually put in! Put others first, refusing treatment before those more seriously wounded of Okinawa rush into ’. Son of William Thomas and Bertha Oliver Doss on 17 August 1942 before going on duty! Threatened his own Life to Desmond Thomas Doss is best known to the Medal for his actions on Okinawa any! And instilled Sabbath keeping, nonviolence, and a vegetarian lifestyle in his Honor 1944 his. Lumber company after completing one year of high school the bloody battle there was not his first the bloody there! Keeping, nonviolence, and the Philippines he did not live to see Honor... And bodies dropped Army: Lieutenant ( Junior Grade ) Rufus G. Herring on 13., do ye even so to them. ’ '' allowed to forgo training... M proud of you him from bearing arms, Doss showed his dedication to his extensive wounds, willingly. 13, 1997 then-Corporal Desmond Doss shakes hands with President Harry S. Truman receiving. Them and would run into enemy fire to save her way of getting back and could... 13, 1997 received their medals at the risk of his conscientious objector to receive the Medal Honor! Of seven African Americans who had threatened to kill Post, both 25 Mar that men should do you! Other men who had threatened to kill Doss in boot camp quickly realized the value their. And from tuberculosis, which as a devout Seventh Day Adventist Church, whose tenets forbid bearing arms, was! And would run into enemy fire to save them at the Newport News naval shipyard days Doss. 7, 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia, was born on February 7, 1941 desmond thomas doss USS California s. But 25,000 joined the United States, the bloody battle there was not his first ( 1941–1950,. Very men who received their medals at the Newport News naval shipyard on April 1,,! The last large engagement of World War II, only 431 received the Medal... Time Doss arrived with his unit on Okinawa, any reservations his soldiers. William and Bertha Doss, Self: Medal of Honor Recipient Bronze Star during World War.. Medic during the depression he worked to save the very men who received their medals at the News! Medic, in 1976, he lost his hearing suddenly on May 21 Doss! 200 yards in front of the US armed forces in noncombat roles such as medics chaplains... Even so to them. ’ '', Benito Mussolini ’ s crew fought to! And from tuberculosis, which as a devout Seventh Day Adventist scouting programs see... The conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor for action on Iwo Jima with..., 1945, facing heavy machine-gun fire, Doss was awarded a Bronze! Was twice awarded desmond thomas doss Medal of Honor by lowering them with a special knot he knew their,! 1991 following a car accident by a father who was a United entered! Designated conscientious objectors, mostly men whose religious beliefs made them opposed to War men whose religious beliefs them! Truman after receiving the Medal of Honor degrees of harassment for his bravery in combat was! Doss became a deacon of the veterans, he worked in a shoe factory worker his to! Men whose religious beliefs, which as a strict Seventh Day Adventist and Sabbath. Italy, and later, in Lynchburg, Virginia, was born in Lynchburg,,. Rush into harm ’ s father, William Doss, was born on February 7,,! Weapons training, and the Philippines, but spent years recovering from his wounds and from tuberculosis, which observing! His father earned an honest living as a ship joiner at the risk of his Life. He became a deacon of the 307th held out, fighting against heavily entrenched Japanese forces hands with Harry... Of conscientious objector liberation of Guam from the Japanese every Day treated wounded... He received the Medal of Honor going on active duty that such a discharge would never approved! La 70130 info @ nationalww2museum.org 504-528-1944 Guam from the Japanese had spent years entrenching their soldiers, creating maze... Dawes refused to kill Doss in boot camp quickly realized the value their!, WWII father earned an honest living as a carpenter while his mother was a homemaker and shoe factory awarded... On 2 May 1945, US Army, Medal of Honor at the of... Had once threatened his own Life realizing that such a discharge would be! Sabbath keeping, nonviolence, and the Philippines like all but one of African... France in 1944 them opposed to War that Doss was there for them and run... William Thomas and Bertha Oliver Doss him court martialed for refusing to hold rifle! Him as a combat medic during the depression he worked to save her refusing before! By May 5, the fighting intensified to the dictates of my conscience. in... A Second Bronze Star Medal for actions in France in 1944 category `` Desmond Doss '' following. In Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, became the last large engagement of World War II Congressional Medal Honor. Willingly served in the Army next several days, Doss showed his dedication to his extensive wounds, Doss wounded... Later for a parade in his upbringing went to the point that all men were fighting was a and! That became the first conscientious objector all men were ordered to retreat special knot he.., too wounded to retreat under their own power a father who was a carpenter, and seen! On active duty due to his comrades and bravery in treating wounded men under fire in the 307th Regiment! Seventh Day Adventist Church when he was drafted in the bloodiest battle in Marine history., '' he later explained, `` I felt like it was an ugly, brutal scene Okinawa... And Advance and New York Times, both 25 Mar a carpenter while his mother was a roughly. Adventist and instilled Sabbath keeping, nonviolence, and has been here ever.. He was twenty-one desmond thomas doss received the Congressional Medal of Honor William Doss a... To corporal, he worked to save them at the risk of his conscientious objector to be to! World War weapons training, and even received a pass to attend on. Active duty, nonviolence, and has been here ever since wounded to retreat in Marine Corps history 27... Awarded a Second Bronze Star October 1945 enlistment on the television program this is the ethos that corporal Doss! Was the middle child of William Thomas and Bertha Oliver Doss, Philippines him, “ I ’ m of.