Desmond Doss facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Desmond Doss
|
|
|---|---|
Doss about to receive the Medal of Honor
in October 1945 |
|
| Birth name | Desmond Thomas Doss |
| Born | February 7, 1919 Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | March 23, 2006 (aged 87) Piedmont, Alabama, U.S. |
| Buried |
Chattanooga National Cemetery, Chattanooga, Tennessee
|
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | .svg){kind=small} Corporal |
| Service number | 33158036 |
| Unit | Company B, 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards |  Medal of Honor Bronze Star Medal (2 & "V") Purple Heart (3) |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | Desmond Doss Jr. (b. 1946) |
Desmond Thomas Doss (February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006) was a brave American soldier. He served as a corporal and combat medic in the United States Army during World War II.
Doss was unique because he refused to carry a weapon or kill enemy soldiers. This was due to his strong personal beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist. Despite this, he showed incredible courage.
He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal twice for helping wounded soldiers in Guam and the Philippines. Later, in the Battle of Okinawa, he saved about 75 men. For his amazing bravery, he received the Medal of Honor. This is America's highest military award. He was the only conscientious objector to earn it during World War II.
His inspiring life story has been shared in books and films. These include the 2004 documentary The Conscientious Objector and the 2016 movie Hacksaw Ridge. In the movie, he was played by Andrew Garfield.
| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
Early Life of Desmond Doss
Desmond Doss was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. His father, William, was a carpenter, and his mother, Bertha, was a homemaker.
His mother raised him as a devoted Seventh-day Adventist. She taught him important values. These included keeping the Sabbath (a day of rest and worship). She also taught him nonviolence and a vegetarian lifestyle.
Desmond grew up in Lynchburg with his older sister Audrey and younger brother Harold. He went to the Park Avenue Seventh-day Adventist Church school until eighth grade. After that, he worked at a lumber company to help his family during the Great Depression.
Doss's World War II Service
Before World War II began, Desmond Doss worked at a shipyard. He could have avoided military service because of this important job. However, he chose to join the army on April 1, 1942.
He went to Fort Jackson for training. During his training, Doss refused to carry a weapon. He also would not kill enemy soldiers. This was because of his deep religious beliefs. Because of this, he became a medic. He was assigned to the 77th Infantry Division.
In 1944, Doss served with his unit in Guam and the Philippines. He earned two Bronze Star Medals for his bravery. He helped wounded soldiers while under enemy fire.
His most famous actions happened during the Battle of Okinawa. This was a very fierce battle. Doss saved between 50 and 100 wounded soldiers. He rescued them from a dangerous cliff known as the Maeda Escarpment, or Hacksaw Ridge.
Doss was wounded four times in Okinawa. He was hit by a sniper's bullet and shrapnel from a grenade. He was taken off the island on May 21, 1945. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Okinawa.
Life After the War
After the war, Desmond Doss wanted to go back to carpentry. But his left arm was badly injured, so he couldn't do that work.
In 1946, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He had caught it during the war. He spent five and a half years getting treatment. He lost a lung and five ribs because of the illness. He was discharged from the hospital in 1951.
Despite his serious injuries, Doss raised a family. He lived on a small farm in Rising Fawn, Georgia.
Desmond married Dorothy Pauline Schutte in 1942. They had one son, Desmond "Tommy" Doss Jr., born in 1946. Dorothy sadly died in a car accident in 1991. Doss later married Frances May Duman in 1993.
Desmond Doss passed away on March 23, 2006, at his home in Piedmont, Alabama. He was buried in the Chattanooga National Cemetery in Tennessee.
Awards and Honors
Medal of Honor
Desmond Doss received the Medal of Honor for his incredible bravery. This is the highest military award in the United States. He earned it for saving many lives during the Battle of Okinawa.
Other Awards and Decorations
 |
|||||
  |
|||||
  |
|||||
   
 |
|||||
  |
|||||
 |
|||||
| Combat Medical Badge | |||||
| Medal of Honor | Bronze Star Medal with 1 Oak leaf cluster and "V" Device | ||||
| Purple Heart with 2 Oak leaf Clusters | Good Conduct Medal | American Campaign Medal | |||
| Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with arrowhead device and 3 3⁄16" bronze stars | World War II Victory Medal | Philippine Liberation Medal with 1 3⁄16" bronze service star | |||
| Army Presidential Unit Citation | Meritorious Unit Commendation | ||||
| 77th Infantry Division SSI | |||||
Other Ways Desmond Doss Was Honored
Many places and organizations have honored Desmond Doss.
- A part of US Route 501 in Virginia is named the "Pfc. Desmond T. Doss Memorial Expressway."
- In 1951, Camp Desmond T. Doss was created in Michigan. It helped train young Seventh-day Adventist men for military service.
- A school in Lynchburg, Virginia, was renamed Desmond T. Doss Christian Academy in the early 1980s.
- A section of Georgia Highway 2 was named the "Desmond T. Doss Medal of Honor Highway" in 1990.
- In 2000, Doss was honored by the Georgia House of Representatives.
- A statue of Doss was dedicated at the National Museum of Patriotism in Atlanta in 2004.
- Another statue of Doss was dedicated in Veterans Memorial Park in Tennessee in 2007.
- In 2008, a guest house at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was renamed Doss Memorial Hall.
- A two-mile stretch of Alabama Highway 9 was named the "Desmond T. Doss Sr. Memorial Highway" in 2008.
- In 2017, PETA gave Doss a "Hero to Animals" award. This was for his lifelong commitment to being a vegetarian.
- In 2019, the U.S. Army Health Clinic in Hawaii was renamed the Desmond T. Doss Health Clinic.
- In 2020, a plaque was placed at his childhood home in Lynchburg. It is now a shelter for homeless veterans.
Desmond Doss in Media
Television and Film
Desmond Doss appeared on the TV show This Is Your Life in 1959.
He is the main subject of The Conscientious Objector, a documentary from 2004.
The 2016 movie Hacksaw Ridge is based on his life story. It was directed by Mel Gibson.
Books
There are several books written about Desmond Doss:
- Desmond Doss Conscientious Objector: The Story of an Unlikely Hero (2015) by Frances M. Doss
- Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge: The Gripping True Story That Inspired The Movie (2016) by Booton Herndon
- The Birth of Hacksaw Ridge: How It All Began (2017) by Gregory Crosby and Gene Church
See also
In Spanish: Desmond Doss para niños
- Bull Allen (soldier)
- List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War II
- Medical Cadet Corps
