For over 55 years, Hollywood wanted to tell the story of Desmond Doss; however, he continually declined, wanting to live out his twilight years in quiet with his wife on their small farm. Producer and director Terry Benedict had a lifelong dream of one day sharing the story of his childhood hero. With a promise to uphold the integrity of Desmond‘s convictions, Terry was entrusted by Mr. Doss to share this important piece of history. His story is one of the most remarkable and miraculous occurrences of WWII. A reluctant conscientious objector, Desmond was desperate to serve his country even though his beliefs would not allow him to kill another human being.
Refusing the deferment offered to him, he trained to become a combat medic. Desmond developed a reputation as one of the most fearless medics in the battles of Guam, Leyte, and Okinawa, known as the “Hell Hole of the Pacific.” Soldiers who alienated and ridiculed Desmond during combat training saw him demonstrate extraordinary strength of character and courage on the battlefield. His unyielding convictions and selfless acts of courage and saving the lives of the very man who ridiculed him won him their awe and respect as he emerged from the war as one of America’s greatest military heroes.
Documentary Synopsis: “The Conscientious Objector” explores the nature of Desmond’s heroism and searched out survivors of the 77th Infantry Division who were witness to Desmond’s actions as well as those rescued by him. With a cinematic approach that captures powerful and inspiring interviews with Desmond Doss, his family, and the few remaining Veterans, their stories reveal the many sacrifices that Desmond made. For the first time in 56 years, they reunite with their medic on the Maeda Escarpment, on the island of Okinawa, where this amazing story took place.
Technical Highlights: The feature-length documentary was shot using Panasonic’s new VariCam Cinema TM High-Definition camera.
Approx.: Running Time 101 minutes
Click here to stream the documentary (we’ll insert link as on the “TCO” website ($3.99)
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