He lived the golden rule, "…do to others what you would have them do to you…" (Matthew 7:12 NIV).ĭesmond served in combat on the islands of Guam, Leyte, and Okinawa. With kindness and gentle courtesy, he treated those who had mistreated him. And if someone fainted from heat stroke, this medic was at his side, offering his own canteen. Things began turning around when the men discovered that this quiet unassuming medic had a way to heal the blisters on their march-weary feet. His commanding officers also made his life difficult. So they ostracized him, bullied him, called him awful names, and cursed at him. His fellow soldiers saw this Bible reading puritan, as being totally out of sync with the rest of the Army. He asked for a weekly pass so he could attend church every Saturday. The Army was exasperated to discover that he had yet another personal requirement. His religious upbringing included weekly church attendance, on the seventh day. However, there was another commandment that Desmond took just as seriously as the sixth. Little Desmond would look at that picture and ask, "Why did Cain kill Abel? How in the world could a brother do such a thing?" In Desmond's mind, God said, "If you love me, you won't kill." With that picture firmly embedded in his mind, he determined that he would never take life. Next to the words, "Thou shalt not kill" was a drawing of Cain holding a club and standing over the body of his dead brother Abel. It portrayed the Ten Commandments with colorful illustrations. During childhood his father had purchased a large framed picture at an auction. When it came to the Ten Commandments, he applied them personally. His unwavering convictions were most important.ĭesmond had been raised with a fervent belief in the Bible. He believed his duty was to obey God and serve his country. But they failed to find a way to toss him out, and he refused to leave. Then they attempted to court martial him for refusing a direct order-to carry a gun. They tried to intimidate him, scold him, assign him extra tough duties, and declared him mentally unfit for the Army. Nobody believed a soldier without a weapon was worthwhile.
His commanding officers also wanted to get rid of the skinny Virginian who spoke with a gentle southern drawl. One man in the barracks warned him, "Doss, as soon as we get into combat, I'll make sure you won't come back alive." They viewed him with distain and called him a misfit. His refusal to carry a gun caused a lot of trouble among his fellow soldiers. As luck would have it, he was assigned to an infantry rifle company. When he joined the Army, Desmond assumed that his classification as a conscientious objector would not require him to carry a weapon. He was willing to risk his life on the front lines in order to preserve freedom. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he was working at the Newport News Naval shipyard and could have requested a deferment-but he wanted to do more for his country. The journey that had brought young Desmond to this day had been a challenging one. I consider this a greater honor than being president." Truman warmly shook the hand of Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss, and then held it the entire time his citation was read aloud to those gathered outside the White House on October 12, 1945. His only weapons were his Bible and his faith in God. One of these was placed around the neck of a young Seventh-day Adventist, who during combat had not killed a single enemy soldier. Of the 16 million men in uniform during World War II, only 431 received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Little did he realize that three and a half years later, he would be standing on the White House lawn, receiving the nation's highest award for his bravery and courage under fire. On April 1, 1942, Desmond Doss joined the United States Army.
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