Hacksaw Ridge Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Ten Commandments

Desmond and his brother, Hal, live in a rural area in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Their father, Tom Doss, is a veteran who has taken to drinking after losing all his friends in the Great War. He regularly administers beatings to his sons and his wife, Bertha, while under the influence, and his sons can only follow the violent example set by their father. One day when Hal gets the upper hand in a fight with his brother, Desmond picks up a brick and hits Hal over the head with it, sending him crashing motionless to the ground. Immediately realizing the seriousness of his actions, Desmond slowly follows his parents into the house as they carry Hal into the kitchen. Fearing the worst, Desmond can only stare wordlessly at a framed depiction of the Ten Commandments that graces their modest home, focusing particularly on the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill", which is illustrated with an image of Cain killing his brother, Abel. Bertha Doss intervenes on Desmond's behalf when Tom threatens to whip the boy. "What's that gonna teach the boy?" she asks. "He's violent enough already." Tom relents reluctantly. "Fine, you go smother him in kisses. You tell him the world's a soft and gentle place." When Bertha tells Desmond that his brother is going to be all right, Desmond can only reply, "I could have killed him."

"Yes, you could have," Bertha replies. "Murder, it's the worst sin of all. And to take another man's life, that is the most egregious sin in the Lord's sight. Nothing hurts his heart so much."

Answer: His belt

Desmond is helping out at the church when he witnesses an accident outside. Gilbert was working under an automobile and is badly injured when the jack gives way. Thinking quickly, Desmond uses his belt as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from an artery in his leg, and accompanies him to the hospital. The doctor there tells Desmond that he probably saved the boy's life. Desmond looks around at the work of the doctors and nurses in the hospital, and becomes inspired. He then sees Dorothy for the first time, and is immediately smitten by the young nurse. He walks over to her, forgetting for the moment that his shirt is stained with Gilbert's blood. "Army physical's that way, this is for giving blood," she tells him, until she notices the blood. "Are you all right?" He tells her he's fine, and thanks her for asking. "What do you need?" she asks, confused. "My belt," he says. "I lent it to the boy who had the accident. My pants don't hold up so good without it." Dorothy is slightly bemused by this strange young man. "Well, uh, I don't have your belt," she says cautiously. "No, I know that, ma'am. It's out there. It's right out there with the boy still," Desmond says absent-mindedly. He can't stop staring at her. "Okay. I'm just here to take blood," she says with a chuckle. "I'll give mine," Desmond replies without hesitation.

The next day, a spruced up Desmond kisses his mother goodbye and heads to the hospital. He announces to his family that he has met the woman he is going to marry.

Answer: Medic

Desmond's brother, Hal, comes home for dinner one night in uniform. He's enlisted in the U.S. Army without any warning. When his father asks why he didn't say anything about it, he replies, "'Cause you would have tried to talk me out of it and I know what I'm doing is right." Bertha has to speak up. "And what about his commandment?" she asks. "It's not killing in a war, it's protecting," Hal says. "Loads of boys from our church are going. There is a war, and they need men. And working in a paper mill ain't going to save this country." Desmond decides to enlist, and tells Dorothy when he drives her to work. "I can't stay here while all of them go fight for me," he explains. When she tries to convince him not to enlist, he says, "Dorothy, I have to. I want to be a medic. I figure I'll be saving people, not killing them." She goes to work angry with Desmond, but not before getting him to ask her to marry him.

Desmond is summoned by his father to meet him at the cemetery. "These three were my best friends. I grew up with 'em. I got into trouble with 'em, chased girls with 'em. And I enlisted with 'em," he tells Desmond, motioning to their graves. "Now my friends are there, covered in dirt and grass and eaten by worms. I don't want to have to visit my sons here." Desmond tells Tom that he enlisted already. "I couldn't do otherwise, Pop. Everybody else is doing..." he says. "You ain't everybody else. Everybody else jumps in and does things quick, without thinking, like the damn idiot fools we were. And soldiers who live, they live because they can do that. You can't!" Tom replies. "Look, you gotta sit and think and pray about everything. I mean, look at you, you're doing it right now. You won't be able to live with yourself if you go." Desmond is adamant. "No, I won't be able to live with myself if I don't," he says. "I'm going to be a medic. That's going to be my way to serve." Tom is unconvinced. "See, there you go, thinking it all out. What, you figure this war is just going to fit in with you, your ideas?" he asks. "Well, I don't doubt it's going to be hard," Desmond replies. "It won't be hard, it'll be impossible," his father replies.

Dorothy sees Desmond off as he boards the bus to take him to basic training. She hands him a small bible, inside which she has slipped a small photograph of herself. On the back she has written, "Come home to me, Desmond Doss. I love you."

Answer: They think he is a coward.

Desmond gets along with his bunk mates and manages to hold his own during the drills and training, until they get to rifle practice. When Desmond announces that he cannot touch a gun, Sergeant Howell can't believe his ears. Desmond is brought before Captain Glover, who is similarly confused. "You're a conscientious objector, and you joined the Army?" he asks in disbelief. "Well, no, sir, I'm a conscientious cooperator," Desmond replies. "I volunteered. I ain't got no problem with wearing my uniform, or saluting the flag and doing my duty. It's just carrying a gun and the taking of human life." Captain Glover doesn't mince his words. "You know quite a bit of killing does occur in a war?" he asks. "I mean, that is the essential nature of war." Desmond is deferential, but remains steadfast in his beliefs. Captain Glover tries to put Desmond in for a psychiatric discharge, but Colonel Stelzer determines that his religious beliefs are genuine, and that "he must be allowed to work as a combat medic, provided he qualifies in all other areas of his training".

Sergeant Howell interrupts rifle practice to make an announcement. "Gentlemen! I want you to meet Private Desmond Doss," he says. "Apparently, Private Doss does not believe in violence. He does not practice violence. He will not even deign to touch a weapon. You see, Private Doss is a conscientious objector. So I plead with you, do not look to him to save you on the battlefield, because he will undoubtedly be too busy wrestling with his conscience to assist." Desmond interrupts at this point to disagree, but the Sarge orders him to remain silent, before continuing. "Now, I realize some of you might have strong feelings about this. It is what we men fight for. To defend our rights, and to protect our women and children. Even if Private Doss' beliefs might cause women and children to die. So I will expect everyone in this company to give Private Doss the full measure of respect he is due for the short time he will be with us." Most of the men regard Desmond with open contempt. Smitty, in particular, picks on him back in the bunk by snatching away his bible and calling him half a man. "I don't think this is a question of religion, fellas," he says as he confronts Desmond. "I think this is cowardice, plain and simple."

Answer: Get married

Sergeant Howell and Captain Glover try to make Desmond quit on his own, by restricting him to barracks and coming up with pretenses to blame Desmond for punishing the entire squad. Some men take matters into their own hands by attacking Desmond one night, but the next morning Desmond refuses to identify his attackers (or even acknowledge that he was attacked), and refuses to quit. He begins to earn Sergeant Howell's respect for that, but the wheels have already been set in motion.

Not long after that, Colonel Sangston blocks Desmond's weekend pass by arguing that he hasn't completed his basic training. "Well, sir, respectfully, sir, I have," Desmond tries to explain. "I put in for this furlough three weeks ago. I'm getting married this afternoon." Colonel Sangston points out that he isn't rifle-qualified, which is part of the basic training. "Show me you know how to handle a rifle and I'll sign your furlough," he says. When Desmond refuses, Colonel Sangston has him detained for failing to obey a direct order.

Dorothy is left waiting at the altar, and has to call off the service at the chapel when Desmond fails to show. "I'm so very sorry," the Minister tells her. "Sometimes men just get cold feet." Dorothy shakes her head adamantly. "Some men might," she says. "Not my Desmond." She visits Desmond in prison, and updates his parents on the situation. "I don't know what he's gonna do. He loses no matter what," she explains over the phone. "They want him to plead guilty, but then he'll get a dishonorable discharge. Otherwise he fights them, and he for sure goes to prison. Either way, they'll call him a coward and I don't see how he can live with that."

Answer: Desmond's father, Tom

Tom Doss dresses up in his uniform from the Great War and visits Brigadier General Musgrove, his old company commander in Washington, D.C., before showing up at his son's court martial. Inside, the judge is asking Desmond why he feels that he must serve in a combat unit when he won't even touch a weapon. "Because when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, I took it personal," Desmond explains. "I had a job in a defense plant and I could have taken a deferment, but that ain't right. It isn't right that other men should fight and die, that I would just be sitting at home safe. I need to serve. I got the energy and the passion to serve as a medic, right in the middle with the other guys. No less danger, just while everybody else is taking life, I'm going to be saving it. With the world so set on tearing itself apart, it doesn't seem like such a bad thing to me to want to put a little bit of it back together."

The judge commends Desmond for his sentiments but cannot see any way around the charge and is about to rule against him when they hear a commotion outside. The door bursts open, and two MPs stumble into the room with the troublemaker. Desmond is surprised to see that it's his father. The judge allows Tom to submit the letter he has obtained from Brigadier General Musgrove, which states that Desmond's "rights as a conscientious objector are protected by an Act of Congress and he cannot be compelled to waive those rights". With that, Colonel Sangston withdraws the charges, and the judge dismisses the case. "Private Doss, you are free to run into the hellfire of battle without a single weapon to protect yourself," the judge says to Desmond. "You may resume your duties and begin training as a combat medic."

Answer: That he was wrong about Desmond.

The 77th Infantry Division arrive in Okinawa in May 1945 to assist in the capture of Hacksaw Ridge. The U.S. Navy carries out artillery bombardment of the landing zone, and the 77th scale the escarpment and advance. The men endure heavy casualties and Desmond manages to help several injured soldiers evacuate to safety, including a soldier who loses both his legs and who the other medics believe won't survive the night. Desmond also demonstrates his courage when he wrestles a Japanese soldier to the ground despite being unarmed, saving Smitty's life in the process. The 77th manage to hold their position, and the men pair off for the night. When Desmond wants to keep looking for the wounded, Smitty volunteers to accompany him.

That night in the foxhole, Smitty takes the first watch and Desmond has a nightmare that they were surprised by Japanese soldiers and killed. "Rifle's just there. It won't bite," Smitty says, motioning over to his weapon. "After what we've just been through, any sane man would be screaming for a weapon." Desmond just smiles, and says, "I never claimed to be sane. My daddy's a drunk. He fought it for years, but it kind of got a hold of him hard, made him mean." Smitty then tells Desmond about how he didn't even know his father, and that he grew up in an orphanage. "I learned how to hate quick," he explains to Desmond. "I learned how to judge people quicker, and I got you very wrong." Desmond goes on to tell Smitty about the time his father got drunk and threatened his mother with a gun. Desmond managed to wrestle the gun away from and point it at his father, who started to goad him into pulling the trigger. "But you didn't kill him?" Smitty asks. "In my heart, I did," Desmond says. "So that's why I made my promise to God, I ain't never going to touch a gun again." Smitty keeps a straight face, and says, "Well, I ain't giving you mine, 'cause you're crazy," and the pair share a chuckle.

Answer: "Help me get one more..."

The Japanese counter-attack leaves many men injured on the battlefield, including Hollywood and Sergeant Howell. Smitty is shot, and Desmond gives him morphine and carries him to the edge of the ridge, but he doesn't make it. Desmond closes his eyes and looks back as artillery fire rains down on the battlefield. "What is it you want of me?" he asks with tears in his eyes. "I don't understand. I can't hear you." Voices of the injured left behind can be heard, calling for help. "All right," Desmond says, as he dons his helmet and runs back into the escarpment.

Desmond rescues one solider after another, lowering them down from the edge of the ridge with a rope tied in a double bowline knot. He comes across Bob partially buried in the dirt. To evade capture by the approaching Japanese troops, he buries Bob almost completely and drags a dead solider on top of himself, playing possum. He finds James Pinnick, who believes he was blinded, but restores his sight by washing his eyes with water from his canteen. Desmond even tends to the wounds of the Japanese, showing that he doesn't value any human life over another. He continues working after nightfall, lowering soldier after soldier down from the ridge, all the while repeating the phrase "Please, Lord, help me get one more" as a mantra. "Help me get one more."

Answer: Praying for them

The next morning, Desmond comes across Hollywood and Howell on the ridge. They are wounded but alive. He brings Hollywood down first, then goes back for the Sarge. Back at base camp, someone recognizes Hollywood being brought in and tells the Captain, who ascertains that Doss is responsible for saving many men. The Captain and the rest of the squad arrive at the bottom of the ridge, just in time to see Desmond lowering Howell, Smitty's body, and then himself down from the escarpment, and taking on fire from pursuing Japanese soldiers. The squad neutralize the Japanese troops, and help Desmond down from the ridge. As he walks toward the truck, Desmond is flanked on both sides by men from his squad, who cannot believe their eyes.

Back at base camp, Captain Glover seeks out Desmond. "All I saw was a skinny kid. I didn't know who you were," he tells him. "You've done more than any other man could have done in the service of his country, and I have never been more wrong about someone in my life. I hope one day you can forgive me." Glover squats down and informs Desmond that they have to go back up tomorrow, which he knows is Desmond's Sabbath day. "Most of these men don't believe the same way you do, but they believe so much in how much you believe," he says. "What you did on that ridge is nothing short of a miracle, and they want a piece of it. And they're not going to go up there without you."

The next day, the men assemble at the bottom of the cliff edge, waiting. The artillery bombardment is coming to an end, and Captain Glover's superior officer is asking him why they didn't begin the assault 10 minutes ago like they were supposed to. "We're waiting, sir," Glover explains. "Waiting for what?" comes the impatient response. "For Private Doss to finish praying for us, sir," Glover replies. Desmond finishes praying and places his bible back in his breast pocket. He nods to Captain Glover and dons his helmet. "Let's go to work," Glover yells.

Answer: False

The American forces succeed in capturing the objective and the Japanese commander ends his life by ritual seppuku, but at the last moment the surrendering Japanese soldiers ambush them with grenades. Desmond runs forward and knocks the grenades away with his bare hands, injuring himself in the process. As he is carried away on a stretcher, he calls out for his bible. A soldier goes back to retrieve it, and places it in Desmond's hands just before he is lowered down from the top of the ridge. "You're going home, Desmond," Glover tells him. "We've taken Hacksaw."

Over the film's closing credits, we learn that Desmond rescued 75 wounded men on Hacksaw Ridge, and became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. We see the real Desmond Doss receiving his medal from President Truman, and learn that he and Dorothy were married until her death in 1991. The film ends with real-life footage of Desmond Doss and some of the people he saved. Desmond describes coming across a soldier who thought he was blind: "Blood had run down to the fella's face and eyes. He was laying there just groaning and calling for a medic. I took water from my canteen, got some bandage, and I washed his face. And when that blood was washed from his eyes, his eyes came up. Man, he just lit up," Desmond recalls. "And if I hadn't got anything more out of the war than that smile he gave me, I'd have been well repaid."