Who Was Desmond Doss?
Desmond was a simple and humble young man who went through a wartime experience that challenged his spiritual foundation and faith, which he displayed in awe-inspiring heroism witnessed by his fellow soldiers in the most brutal and impossible of battlefield circumstances. In so doing, he became an extraordinary figure who influenced all who came in contact with him. His character values of Courage, Conviction, Integrity, Humility, Selflessness, Faith, and Patriotism are relevant today, especially for young people to admire and, through education make “point of decision” actions to adopt these traits and values into their own lives. This has never been more needed in a world where so much contention exists and emerging technologies threaten our social order and self-understanding.
Who Was Desmond Doss?
Desmond was a simple and humble young man who went through a wartime experience that challenged his spiritual foundation and faith, which he displayed in awe-inspiring heroism witnessed by his fellow soldiers in the most brutal and impossible of battlefield circumstances. In so doing, he became an extraordinary figure who influenced all who came in contact with him. His character values of Courage, Patriotism, Conviction, Integrity, Selflessness and Faith are relevant today, especially for young people to admire and, through education make “point of decision” actions to adopt these traits and values into their own lives. This has never been more needed in a world where so much contention exists and emerging technologies threaten our social order and self-understanding.
The Conscientious Objector
The Conscientious Objector is a documentary exploring the life of Desmond Doss, a US Army medic who was the only WWII soldier to receive the Medal of Honor as a conscientious objector.
Director: Terry Benedict
Writers: Terry Benedict, Jeff Wood
Executive Producers: Gabe Videla & Jon Sheinberg
Hacksaw Ridge
Hacksaw Ridge
An impactful Oscar-Winning film tells the story of a little known American War Hero
“HACKSAW RIDGE”…This extraordinary Mel Gibson picture delivers the powerful true story of WWII Medic Desmond Doss, played dramatically by Andrew Garfield who, during the battle for Okinawa the bloodiest battle of the Pacific, he miraculously saved 75 men over the course of 12 hours without carrying a weapon of any kind.
Doss, a devout Christian chose to carry only his faith and conviction of saving lives into a battle setting so fierce his chances of survival were virtually impossible. He would quietly say a simple prayer “Lord help me get one more” as he went into a living hell to single-handedly attend to the wounded then evacuate his men one by one under intense enemy gunfire and artillery bombardment.
Doss’ courage and faith won the admiration of his commanders and fellow soldiers, as a number of the men he saved were those who mistreated him during combat training, because of his moral stance to not bear arms. He was convicted not to kill under any circumstances. Doss was labeled a “Conscientious Objector” a social stigma he disliked having voluntarily enlisted. He preferred to call himself a “Conscientious Cooperator.” For his incredible acts of heroism Doss was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, America’s highest military recognition.
“Hacksaw Ridge” was selected by the American Film Institute as the Best Dramatic Film of 2016.