Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Someone else pointed out the website, and I'd like to point out one in particular. This man I've have had the privelidge of meeting and shaking hands. He is very old and frail now, but he still does everything he can to encourage young people to stand up for right and their beliefs. Still tours the country to speak on behalf of trust in God and never giving up one's beliefs.
Before I post his citation, I wish to tell you a little about him. Doss was a concientous objector... before there was such a thing. Doss, as a conscientous Seventh Day Adventist beleived he should not carry arms or kill other people. He was drafted into the war, and that was only the start of his troubles. Doss faced court martial for various charges stemming from his refusal to carry weapons - some of which would have earned him execution. Many threats by other soldiers were made against him, and he earned the ire of almost every superior officer. Doss was finally allowed to join the medical corp and train to be a field medic. Again, this was cause for him to be ostracised and threatened, as if he were a threat to the well-being of his fellow soldiers.
Finally, Doss's unit was assigned to go to Okinawa. The bloodiest hell on earth... or close to it. But, during training, Doss earned at least the grudging respect for his tireless assistance during desert training. After carrying double packs, extra water, and a med kit, he also carried collapsed men from his unit to care during their hot weather training for Okinawa.
Once arriving at Okinawa, Doss earned not only their respect, but their unending gratitude, for he proved to be far more courageous than the rest of them. With a strong faith in God, and unending prayer on his lips, he often ran through or stood in the line of fire and in the sight of snipers to rescue fallen comrades.
And now, here is his citation:
DOSS, DESMOND T.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U. S. Army, Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 29 April-21 May 1945. Entered service at: Lynchburg, Va. Birth: Lynchburg, Va. G. O. No. : 97, 1 November 1945. Citation: He was a company aid man when the 1st Battalion assaulted a jagged escarpment 400 feet high As our troops gained the summit, a heavy concentration of artillery, mortar and machinegun fire crashed into them, inflicting approximately 75 casualties and driving the others back. Pfc. Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying them 1 by 1 to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a rope-supported litter down the face of a cliff to friendly hands. On 2 May, he exposed himself to heavy rifle and mortar fire in rescuing a wounded man 200 yards forward of the lines on the same escarpment; and 2 days later he treated 4 men who had been cut down while assaulting a strongly defended cave, advancing through a shower of grenades to within 8 yards of enemy forces in a cave's mouth, where he dressed his comrades' wounds before making 4 separate trips under fire to evacuate them to safety. On 5 May, he unhesitatingly braved enemy shelling and small arms fire to assist an artillery officer. He applied bandages, moved his patient to a spot that offered protection from small arms fire and, while artillery and mortar shells fell close by, painstakingly administered plasma. Later that day, when an American was severely wounded by fire from a cave, Pfc. Doss crawled to him where he had fallen 25 feet from the enemy position, rendered aid, and carried him 100 yards to safety while continually exposed to enemy fire. On 21 May, in a night attack on high ground near Shuri, he remained in exposed territory while the rest of his company took cover, fearlessly risking the chance that he would be mistaken for an infiltrating Japanese and giving aid to the injured until he was himself seriously wounded in the legs by the explosion of a grenade. Rather than call another aid man from cover, he cared for his own injuries and waited 5 hours before litter bearers reached him and started carrying him to cover. The trio was caught in an enemy tank attack and Pfc. Doss, seeing a more critically wounded man nearby, crawled off the litter; and directed the bearers to give their first attention to the other man. Awaiting the litter bearers' return, he was again struck, this time suffering a compound fracture of 1 arm. With magnificent fortitude he bound a rifle stock to his shattered arm as a splint and then crawled 300 yards over rough terrain to the aid station. Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions Pfc. Doss saved the lives of many soldiers. His name became a symbol throughout the 77th Infantry Division for outstanding gallantry far above and beyond the call of duty.
For those of you who might like to know more about him, and his time in and after the military, his story is detailed in the book:
The Unlikeliest Hero
Thank you for reading and letting me share this with you.
Before I post his citation, I wish to tell you a little about him. Doss was a concientous objector... before there was such a thing. Doss, as a conscientous Seventh Day Adventist beleived he should not carry arms or kill other people. He was drafted into the war, and that was only the start of his troubles. Doss faced court martial for various charges stemming from his refusal to carry weapons - some of which would have earned him execution. Many threats by other soldiers were made against him, and he earned the ire of almost every superior officer. Doss was finally allowed to join the medical corp and train to be a field medic. Again, this was cause for him to be ostracised and threatened, as if he were a threat to the well-being of his fellow soldiers.
Finally, Doss's unit was assigned to go to Okinawa. The bloodiest hell on earth... or close to it. But, during training, Doss earned at least the grudging respect for his tireless assistance during desert training. After carrying double packs, extra water, and a med kit, he also carried collapsed men from his unit to care during their hot weather training for Okinawa.
Once arriving at Okinawa, Doss earned not only their respect, but their unending gratitude, for he proved to be far more courageous than the rest of them. With a strong faith in God, and unending prayer on his lips, he often ran through or stood in the line of fire and in the sight of snipers to rescue fallen comrades.
And now, here is his citation:
DOSS, DESMOND T.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U. S. Army, Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 29 April-21 May 1945. Entered service at: Lynchburg, Va. Birth: Lynchburg, Va. G. O. No. : 97, 1 November 1945. Citation: He was a company aid man when the 1st Battalion assaulted a jagged escarpment 400 feet high As our troops gained the summit, a heavy concentration of artillery, mortar and machinegun fire crashed into them, inflicting approximately 75 casualties and driving the others back. Pfc. Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying them 1 by 1 to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a rope-supported litter down the face of a cliff to friendly hands. On 2 May, he exposed himself to heavy rifle and mortar fire in rescuing a wounded man 200 yards forward of the lines on the same escarpment; and 2 days later he treated 4 men who had been cut down while assaulting a strongly defended cave, advancing through a shower of grenades to within 8 yards of enemy forces in a cave's mouth, where he dressed his comrades' wounds before making 4 separate trips under fire to evacuate them to safety. On 5 May, he unhesitatingly braved enemy shelling and small arms fire to assist an artillery officer. He applied bandages, moved his patient to a spot that offered protection from small arms fire and, while artillery and mortar shells fell close by, painstakingly administered plasma. Later that day, when an American was severely wounded by fire from a cave, Pfc. Doss crawled to him where he had fallen 25 feet from the enemy position, rendered aid, and carried him 100 yards to safety while continually exposed to enemy fire. On 21 May, in a night attack on high ground near Shuri, he remained in exposed territory while the rest of his company took cover, fearlessly risking the chance that he would be mistaken for an infiltrating Japanese and giving aid to the injured until he was himself seriously wounded in the legs by the explosion of a grenade. Rather than call another aid man from cover, he cared for his own injuries and waited 5 hours before litter bearers reached him and started carrying him to cover. The trio was caught in an enemy tank attack and Pfc. Doss, seeing a more critically wounded man nearby, crawled off the litter; and directed the bearers to give their first attention to the other man. Awaiting the litter bearers' return, he was again struck, this time suffering a compound fracture of 1 arm. With magnificent fortitude he bound a rifle stock to his shattered arm as a splint and then crawled 300 yards over rough terrain to the aid station. Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions Pfc. Doss saved the lives of many soldiers. His name became a symbol throughout the 77th Infantry Division for outstanding gallantry far above and beyond the call of duty.
For those of you who might like to know more about him, and his time in and after the military, his story is detailed in the book:
The Unlikeliest Hero
Thank you for reading and letting me share this with you.
