War Hero

Veteran’s Day is right around the corner. Do you have a favorite war hero? I do. I’m surprised I was never taught about him in school. Instead, I found out about him through a biographical film, “Hacksaw Ridge.” To me he’s one of the greatest war heroes of all time. Once you learn about him, I don’t think you will ever forget his name. Desmond Doss.

Desmond was a Christian whose personal and religious beliefs prevented him from using a weapon. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he wanted to serve his country by saving lives as a combat medic. He enlisted in the Army even though he worked as a ship joiner in the Newport News shipyard and could have received a deferment.

The Army refused this scrawny 145 lb., 5’8″ Virginian’s request to serve as a medic, assigning him to a rifle company. There Desmond was hated by his fellow soldiers, who taunted him not just because he refused to touch a weapon, but also because he read the bible every day and refused to work on the Sabbath.

During basic training, his officers tried various tactics to get him to either quit or request a transfer out of their battalion, even to the point of charging him with mental instability. A hearing was held to decide his fate, and he was granted his request to serve as a combat medic.

Desmond’s battalion was sent to the Pacific Theater during the Battle of Okinawa. They were assigned to take an escarpment appropriately named “Hacksaw Ridge” because of the high death rate of those who tried to take it. During that horrific battle, many of his comrades were wounded and some were killed. Defeat seemed inevitable as they faced heavy artillery, mortar and machine gun fire. They were ordered to retreat, and hurriedly climbed back down the 350′ escarpment leaving the wounded and dead behind facing inevitable capture or death.

But Desmond disobeyed his commander. He stayed behind and crawled from soldier to soldier to tend to their wounds under heavy gunfire. Working alone all through the night under fire, he dragged them one by one to the edge of the ridge, tied a rope around them, and lowered them to safety below. Some of the men in his battalion at the bottom of the ridge saw what he was doing. They released the men from the rope, staying there throughout the night as Desmond worked tirelessly asking God to help him.

Exhausted, especially for a man of his small stature, he asked God to help him. Over the course of 12 hours, he ended up rescuing all 75 of his men, even the deceased, leaving no man behind including his injured Captain. These were the same men who taunted him, called him a coward, and fought so hard to get rid of him.

Desmond’s heroism won the respect of his fellow soldiers. In fact, they later refused to go into battle without him, allowing him time to pray and read his bible beforehand.

John 15:13 says “Greater love hath no man than he lay down his life for his friends.” That’s exactly what Desmond did that night, risking his life for his comrades every moment he stayed on that ridge under enemy fire. Desmond was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic efforts, including multiple Bronze stars and Purple Hearts during his heroic service in other battles. He has since passed away, but I’m sure he had even greater rewards waiting for him in heaven.