The Hero of Hacksaw Ridge

Exhausted, Private Desmond T. Doss sank to his knees on the barracks floor next to his bunk and began talking to God like he always did before sleeping. The day had been overwhelming, and he needed strength to cope with his new, rough companions—their cursing, tempers, filthy jokes, and bullying. 

Thud! A military boot narrowly missed his head and landed next to him on the floor. 

“Look, guys! We have a Holy Joe in our group!” Raucous laughter filled the room and more boots came flying. One scored a direct hit. 

“Oh, Lord,” Desmond prayed silently, “please give me a chance to serve these men the way You would.” So ended his first day in the United States Army, 77^th Infantry Division. 

In 1942, when Desmond joined the US army, he had a deep personal faith in God and understood that invincible strength came from Him through prayer and Bible study. Strongly patriotic, he wanted to be what he termed a “conscientious cooperator,” defending his country and its religious freedom, but without taking life. So he signed up to be a combat medic with one caveat: he wouldn’t carry a gun. This put him at serious odds with his fellow soldiers and commanding officers. Desmond didn’t view their disfavor as his problem. His convictions, settled early in life, weren’t up for negotiation.

Preparation for Service

Desmond was raised in a poor family during the Depression. Those desperate times brought out the strength of his mother’s character and religious faith. One of the qualities she modeled for Desmond was perseverance. Desmond’s brother Harold later remarked that Desmond “didn’t know how to give up!”

Desmond took all ten of the commandments seriously, especially the fourth, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” and the sixth, “Thou shalt not kill.” 

Desmond’s refusal to carry or even touch a weapon was shaped by a childhood incident. His mother had intervened when his father pulled a gun on Desmond’s uncle during an argument. She gave the gun to Desmond to hide. A framed picture of the Ten Commandments hung in his childhood home with a picture of Cain killing Abel, illustrating the sixth commandment, and he realized there could have been a similar tragedy in his own family.

As a soldier, he later said, “I wanted to be like Christ, saving life—not taking life. I couldn’t picture Christ out there with a gun killing people. I like to think of Him out there with an aid kit like me.”

Threatened in Training

The US army made provision for noncombatants, and soldiers of all religions were permitted to practice their faith. But Desmond soon found that despite these provisions, many of the officers and men felt otherwise. Keeping God’s commandments became a battle.

The Bible taught Desmond that while no unnecessary work was to be done on the seventh day, he should follow Christ’s example of ministering to the sick and saving lives. During training, no lifesaving was needed, so every week Desmond requested a pass to attend church on Saturday. This was very unpopular with both the men and officers, but Desmond persisted. The men sneered, “You get more passes than the general, Doss.” And the commander of the medical attachment, Captain Statman, eventually refused to sign them, even though Desmond worked hard on Sundays to make up the time. 

Finally, the chaplain took Desmond’s appeal to headquarters where it was determined that he could have his Sabbaths off like other men had Sundays. But the commander was not happy and tried (unsuccessfully) to get rid of him. 

Not only were Sabbath exemptions a source of friction, but several officers attempted to force Desmond to carry a gun. Captain Jack Glover from company command told Desmond that everyone, including medics, must carry a gun. Desmond was respectful to the officers, but never intimidated by them—no matter their rank. He told Glover, “Captain, don’t ever doubt my courage because I will 

be right by your side saving life while you take life.” Glover retorted, “You won’t be at my d____ side if you don’t carry a gun.” 

Glover eventually went all the way to the assistant division commander with a request that Desmond be removed from the army. In Glover’s words, the unwanted verdict was “not only was he going to stay in the army, but he was going to stay with me!”

The harassment from the officers continued. Desmond wrote to his wife, “Colonel Hamilton…tried to shame me into taking a gun. He said that I was letting others do my fighting for my religious rights. I told him…I was willing to go to the front lines to save life, but not to take life.” Desmond remained immovable on his principles, even when challenged by military authorities.

Decorated in Action

In July 1944, Desmond’s company entered combat in the Pacific islands of Guam, Leyte, and Okinawa. He proved himself to be a fearless and self-sacrificing medic who would rescue wounded men no matter the risk, and the opposition to Desmond melted away! At the Maeda Escarpment in Okinawa (Hacksaw Ridge), he famously stayed for 12 hours under heavy enemy fire to rescue between 75 and 100 wounded men after the rest of the company withdrew. (Desmond thought it was only 50; his commanding officer was sure it was 100. His record states 75.) He refused to give up until the last American was off the ridge. 

For this, and other heroic actions, he received his nation’s highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Desmond gave all the glory to God: “If the Lord hadn’t performed on my behalf, I don’t know how I would ever have got the men off that escarpment.”

Four exhausting days of combat after this miraculous rescue, orders came from headquarters for a concerted island-wide push against the Japanese. For Desmond, it was a much-needed Sabbath. He was studying his Bible when his company commander, Frank Vernon, approached him respectfully. “Doss, you don’t have to go on this mission, but the men would like to have you with them, and so would I.” By now, Desmond’s prayers and presence no longer received abuse.

Desmond agreed but asked to finish his Bible study first. Vernon passed the request to Colonel Hamilton (who’d previously tried to shame Desmond), and Hamilton held up the entire 77^th Division advance in Okinawa for one medic. Desmond kept that Sabbath holy by rescuing wounded men and saving life rather than taking it—like Christ. For him, it was God first, others second, and himself last—the true spirit of Sabbath-keeping and of God’s love. Commander Jack Glover later took back what he said about not fighting alongside Desmond: “The irony is, he ended up saving my life! He was one of the bravest people alive.” Yet Desmond stayed very humble even when honors were heaped on him. He said that the smiles of gratitude from those he saved were his reward. 

On returning from the nightmare of war, few can say, “I have no regrets.” But in spite of the misunderstanding and persecution Desmond endured for his beliefs, in spite of the hardships and risks, he could smile and say he had no regrets. Why? All through his war service, he kept God’s commandments, trusted in His protection, and persevered in doing his duty to his fellow man.

Sources

“Hacksaw Ridge (2016),” History vs. Hollywood, historyvshollywood.com. 

The Conscientious Objector. Directed by Terry L. Benedict. Cinequest, 2004. 

B. Herndon, Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (Coldwater, MI: Remnant Publications, 2016). 

“This Is Your Life—Desmond Doss,” YouTube video.