Desmond Doss: Pacifist or Patriot? Quiz

Answer: Seventh Day Adventist

Desmond's mother, Bertha Edward Doss, was a devout Seventh Day Adventist, and he followed her example. It was important to keep the Sabbath, practice non-violence, and follow a vegetarian lifestyle. Born in 1919, Doss attended a Seventh Day Adventist school until the eighth grade; he subsequently took a job to help the family during the Depression.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, like many young men in his community, Desmond wanted to enlist in the army; on April 1, 1942, he enlisted, however, as a conscientious objector.

Answer: Newport News Naval Shipyard

Doss's father, William Thomas Doss, was a carpenter by trade, and when Desmond left school in order to help supplement the family income, he also worked as a carpenter. When he enlisted in 1942, Doss was working as a joiner at Newport News Naval Shipyard, and business was booming, especially after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In 1940 the U.S. Navy had ordered a battleship, several aircraft carriers, and four cruisers from NNS. As the war progressed, the unrestricted submarine warfare of the Germans had created a need for "Liberty ships", that were a class of cargo ships, used to cross the Atlantic with much-needed goods. Doss knew that he was doing important work at the Newport News Naval Shipyard, however, he wanted to do more.

Answer: Medic

Doss refused to carry a gun or kill an enemy, so he hoped to be assigned as a medic. He had assumed that enlisting as a conscientious objector would not require that he carry a weapon. However, he was assigned to the 77th Infantry Division, which was an infantry rifle company.

His refusal to carry a weapon was not accepted well by his fellow soldiers. According to the Desmond Doss website, one told him, "Doss, as soon as we get into combat, I'll make sure you won't come back alive". He was even court-martialed once for refusing to obey an order - one that involved carrying a rifle.

Another request that Desmond made was that he be allowed to attend weekly worship services; this was also held in disdain by soldiers and commanders alike. They did eventually find, however, that Desmond was steady, courageous, and utterly fearless in battle.

Answer: Pacific Theater

Doss began his training at Camp Lee, Virginia, and was then transferred to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where he joined the 77th Infantry Division, which eventually landed in Hawaii. There more training in amphibious and jungle warfare was received according to the "US Army Divisions" website.

The group, including Doss, was part of the assault made on Guam on July 21, 1944; it was during this assault and one on the Philippines, fighting on the east coast of Ormoc Bay, that Desmond earned a Bronze Star, which is awarded for "either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone".

After that the 77th Infantry Division made its way to Okinawa.

Answer: Hacksaw Ridge

The Battle of Okinawa is considered by many to have been the bloodiest battle fought against Japan during WWII. Beginning April 1, 1945, the battle went on for weeks, during which time the U.S. President died. The war in Europe was almost over, but that was not true in the Pacific.

At the end of the month, the 77th Infantry Division took the place of the 96th Infantry Division, which had over 500 casualties. In order to engage the Japanese, who were hiding in caves and tunnels in the rock, American soldiers had to climb 400 feet up the Maeda Escarpment, which they called Hacksaw Ridge.

The Americans believed they had successfully taken the top of the cliff until there was a fierce counter-attack by the Japanese, and a retreat back down the cliff was made.

Answer: False

During the retreat that had been called off the escarpment, it is estimated that only about a third of the men made it to safety; the rest were left on top of the ridge, dead or wounded. The only member of the division who did not retreat was Desmond Doss. He spent the time after the retreat was called rescuing as many people as he could, sending them down the escarpment cliff to the military encampment below. One source said that he believed he had rescued fifty men that day, while his soldiers-in-arms said it was more like one hundred. They decided to take the average number and make it 75.

This is an amazing feat for one man to accomplish, especially considering the fact that Doss was a very slight man, weighing only 145 pounds. His toughness, determination, and faith enabled him to carry or drag all of the people to safety. During the Battle of Okinawa, Doss was wounded four times; sometimes he had to treat himself. He was finally taken away from the fighting on May 21, 1945.

Answer: Harry S Truman

On October 12, 1945, President Harry S Truman shook then Corporal Desmond Doss's hand, and reportedly said, "I'm proud of you. You really deserve this. I consider this a greater honor than being president". The Medal of Honor citation read in part, "Private First Class Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying them one-by-one to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a rope-supported litter down the face of a cliff to friendly hands....Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions Private First Class Doss saved the lives of many soldiers.

His name became a symbol throughout the 77th Infantry Division for outstanding gallantry far above and beyond the call of duty".

Answer: Tuberculosis

While Doss was serving in the Philippines he contracted tuberculosis, however, it was not diagnosed until after the war in 1946. He stayed in a hospital undergoing treatment for over five years, during which time he had a lung and five ribs removed. The injuries he received during the Battle of Okinawa included a gunshot wound to his arm; it was injured so gravely that he was not able to return to working as a carpenter.

In 1951 he was finally released from the hospital with a 90% disability.

Answer: He was chosen to represent Medal of Honor recipients at the 100th anniversary of the award.

President Abraham Lincoln established The Medal of Honor in 1862 during the American Civil War. In 1962, other Medal of Honor recipients choose Doss to represent them at a ceremony that was held at the White House to honor the 100th anniversary of the award. Desmond said that he had a "pleasant chat" with President Kennedy that day.

Others in attendance included descendants of Civil War Medal of Honor recipients, including the great-great-grandson of two of the first recipients.

Answer: True

The first WWII Medals of Honor were awarded to seventeen servicemen who were at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Of the 466 WWII military personnel (sources disagree on the exact number) who were awarded the medal, 266 (57.3%) received the recognition posthumously. Desmond Doss lived on a small farm in Georgia after being discharged from the hospital in 1951, and raised a family in spite of suffering from serious health issues.

He died on March 23, 2006 at the age of 87.