Desmond Doss | |
---|---|
Birth name | Desmond Thomas Doss |
Born | Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. | February 7, 1919
Died | March 23, 2006 Piedmont, Alabama, U.S. | (aged 87)
Buried | Chattanooga National Cemetery, Chattanooga, Tennessee |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1942–1946 |
Rank | 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) Purple Heart (3) |
Spouse(s) |
|
Children | Desmond Doss Jr. (b. 1946) |
Desmond Thomas Doss (February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006)[1] was a United States Army corporal who served as a combat medic with an infantry company in World War II. Due to his religious beliefs, he refused to carry a weapon.
He was twice awarded the Bronze Star Medal for actions on Guam and in the Philippines. Doss further distinguished himself in the Battle of Okinawa by saving an estimated 75 men,[a] acting on his own, becoming the first of only three conscientious objectors to receive the Medal of Honor for this and other actions.[b]
His life has been the subject of books, the 2004 documentary The Conscientious Objector, and the 2016 Oscar-winning film Hacksaw Ridge, in which he was portrayed by Andrew Garfield.
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