Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Pfc. Desmond Doss, dies at 87
from Medal Of Honor.com
Desmond T. Doss seemed an unlikely candidate to become a war hero. As a devout member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, he would not drill or train on Saturday because his church recognizes it as their Sabbath Day. He would not carry a gun because he believed all killing was wrong. He wouldnt even eat meat after seeing a chicken flopping around with its head cut off.
Instead he carried a pocket-size Bible on Guam, Leyte and Okinawa and when not treating the wounded, the Seventh-day Adventist from Virginia would read Scripture.
But although his religious beliefs forbade his taking of lives, Doss did what he could to save the lives of comrades.
For his heroic actions on Okinawa, including braving heavy enemy fire to single-handedly rescue 75 wounded infantrymen and lower them one by one down a cliff to safety, he received the nation’s highest military award - the Medal of Honor - and he did it without ever firing a shot.
Technorati Tags: Desmond T. Doss, war hero, Medal of Honor
