Desmond Doss

Desmond Doss
Doss, photographed prior to receiving the Medal of Honor in October 1945
Birth nameDesmond Thomas Doss
Born(1919-02-07)February 7, 1919
Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
DiedMarch 23, 2006(2006-03-23) (aged 87)
Piedmont, Alabama, U.S.
Buried
Chattanooga National Cemetery, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1942–1946
Rank Corporal
Service number33158036
UnitCompany B, 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division
Battles / wars
Awards Medal of Honor
Bronze Star Medal (2)
Purple Heart (3)
Spouse(s)
  • Dorothy Schutte
    (m. 1942; died 1991)
  • Frances Duman
    (m. 1993)
ChildrenDesmond 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, the others being Thomas W. Bennett and Joseph G. LaPointe Jr., who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.

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.

  1. ^ Bernstein, Adam (March 26, 2006). "Lauded Conscientious Objector Desmond T. Doss Sr". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Desmond T. Doss". HomeOfHeroes.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.


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