A pacifist

Biography of a pacifist

Desmond T. Doss was reared in a religious tradition that forbade  him from taking up arms. When WWII began, he declined a religious  exemption that would have allowed him to continue working in a  Virginia shipyard and became an Army medic. He was classified  as a "conscientious objector," though he preferred the term  "conscientious cooperator" because he never refused to serve  his country.

"I felt like it was an honor to serve God and country," said  Desmond. "I didn't want to be known as a draft dodger, but I sure  didn't know what I was getting into." He never picked up a rifle,  though he found himself in the heat of combat in places like Leyte  and Guam after being sent to the Pacific. But it was his actions  in May of 1945, near Urasoe on Okinawa, that really distinguish  this small, lean and singular man.

It was there, as a medic with the 77th Infantry Division,  that he witnessed his fellow soldiers being decimated above a  400-foot escarpment while attempting to eradicate a Japanese  stronghold. Without concern for his own safety, Desmond crawled  to more than 75 casualties, carrying each one of them back to  the escarpment edge and lowering them by rope to safety. In the  process, he was wounded by grenade shrapnel but refused care,  telling another medic to tend to others. Shortly thereafter,  he took an enemy round in his arm, suffering a compound fracture.

"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." That is how his Medal of Honor  citation reads. "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."

"I wasn't trying to be a hero," said Desmond. "I was thinking  about it from this standpoint - in a house on fire and a mother  has a child in that house, what prompts her to go in and get that  child? Love. I loved my men, and they loved me. I don't consider  myself a hero. I just couldn't give them up, just like a mother  couldn't give up the child."

In an interview last year, his commanding officer talked about how  he despised this young man who would not fight. Then, in tears,  he recalled how he was one of the wounded whom Desmond hauled to  safety, noting that he owes his life to Doss.

Shortly after returning stateside, Desmond was stricken with  tuberculosis and spent years in rehab after the removal of one  lung. The drugs used to fight tuberculosis would later render him  deaf. Neither of those ailments stopped him from raising a family,  though - or working a small farm, or serving as an inspiration to  all who knew him. We extend our gratitude and prayers to his wife,  Frances, and his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.