There was confusion over Doss' whereabouts, though, so he was reported dead. He managed to make a splint out of a rifle stock, and he eventually made it to the aid station for treatment. Doss insisted that another badly injured soldier take his spot on the stretcher.Īs he continued his trek on foot, Doss was hit by a sniper, shattering his arm. Instead of calling on another medic for help, he treated himself and waited five hours to be rescued.Īs he was being carried back to an aid station, his unit was attacked again. Days later, as the Americans continued their slow advance, Doss was seriously wounded in the leg by a grenade. After each successful delivery, he reportedly said, "Dear God, let me get just one more man."īy nightfall, he had rescued 75 soldiers, including many of the men who had berated him earlier in his military career. Over the span of several hours, Doss treated the injured and, one by one, dragged them to the edge of the cliff and lowered them to safety in a rope sling. He was the only one to remain with the wounded. The remaining Americans were driven back down the escarpment, except for Doss. The assault left many dead and injured soldiers in its wake. It was his Sabbath, but Doss joined his men anyway, just as the Japanese concentrated massive artillery and other heavy fire on them. Waiting for them were thousands of heavily armed Japanese soldiers entrenched in hidden caves and holes.ĭuring the monthlong campaign, Doss treated several injured men, dressing their wounds right in front of the enemy before dragging them to safety.Ībout a week into the fight, Doss was the only medic available to advance with the rest of the men, who were close to taking the ridge from the enemy. Using cargo nets, Doss' battalion was tasked with climbing a treacherous, 400-foot-high jagged cliff, nicknamed Hacksaw Ridge, to get to a plateau. In late April 1945, 26-year-old Doss and his battalion were called upon to help fight near Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, in a campaign that would be one of the last and biggest in the Pacific. They weren't successful, though, and Doss proved them all wrong during his service with the 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Many of the other recruits threw shoes at him while he prayed, and they tried to have him transferred out of their unit. Doss wanted to serve his country, so he enlisted in the Army Medical Corps as a noncombatant.īut because of his conscientious objector status - including his refusal to handle duties on the Saturday Sabbath - boot camp wasn't easy for him. His beliefs and his job as a defense industry worker provided him draft exemption during the war, but he dismissed that chance to defer. For those who have, there are a few more details here that weren't shared in the movie.'ĭoss grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, and was a Seventh Day Adventist, which meant he was a pacifist - he didn't believe in violence and chose not to bear arms. Spoiler Alert: You might not want to read further if you don't know his story and still want to see the movie. Desmond Doss, whose life and heroics were featured in the Oscar-winning film "Hacksaw Ridge." With the 2017 Academy Awards still fresh in our memories, I thought it was fitting to highlight World War II Army Pfc. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL 2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. 1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S.
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