Desmond Doss: Future War Hero
Desmond Doss
Desmond Doss is a virtuous person I have chosen, as to his contributions he is obscure to the much well known society. To modern audiences, most of whom will have little experience of Frontline conflict, Doss’s feats belong to the realm of the unimaginable. During battles in the Pacific island of Guam and, most famously, in Okinawa, the then-26-year-old risked his life again and again, exposing himself to gunfire to carry his injured companions to safety – and doing it all while refusing to carry any form of weapon. Desmond Doss is someone who is virtuous, honorable, ethical and high-minded.
Doss’s story also has an unlikely quality to it that makes it all the more appealing. The future war hero was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, …show more content…
Unlike many other medics, he also refused to carry any form of knife or gun, determined that, no matter what situation he found himself in, he would not take the life of another human being. Instead, Doss’s heroism took another form: he is remembered today for the number of lives he saved. Chillingly, his status as a medic (identifiable by the Medical corps emblem worn on the helmet) put him in even more danger. The courageous corporal has saved the lives of 75 wounded infantrymen. The following year, in Okinawa, Doss proved again that he was a man of exceptional bravery, performing the actions that would lead to his being awarded the Medal of Honor. The official citation for the award describes how, on April 29 1945 during an assault on a high summit of the Japanese island, heavy enemy gunfire inflicted serious injuries on “approximately 75” Americans. Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying all 75 casualties one-by-one to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a
Desmond Doss is a virtuous person I have chosen, as to his contributions he is obscure to the much well known society. To modern audiences, most of whom will have little experience of Frontline conflict, Doss’s feats belong to the realm of the unimaginable. During battles in the Pacific island of Guam and, most famously, in Okinawa, the then-26-year-old risked his life again and again, exposing himself to gunfire to carry his injured companions to safety – and doing it all while refusing to carry any form of weapon. Desmond Doss is someone who is virtuous, honorable, ethical and high-minded.
Doss’s story also has an unlikely quality to it that makes it all the more appealing. The future war hero was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, …show more content…
Unlike many other medics, he also refused to carry any form of knife or gun, determined that, no matter what situation he found himself in, he would not take the life of another human being. Instead, Doss’s heroism took another form: he is remembered today for the number of lives he saved. Chillingly, his status as a medic (identifiable by the Medical corps emblem worn on the helmet) put him in even more danger. The courageous corporal has saved the lives of 75 wounded infantrymen. The following year, in Okinawa, Doss proved again that he was a man of exceptional bravery, performing the actions that would lead to his being awarded the Medal of Honor. The official citation for the award describes how, on April 29 1945 during an assault on a high summit of the Japanese island, heavy enemy gunfire inflicted serious injuries on “approximately 75” Americans. Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying all 75 casualties one-by-one to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a