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Desmond Doss and Truman

Updated May 27, 2025
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Desmond Doss and Truman
A photo of Desmond Doss and President Truman (after Doss received the Medal of Honor).

This is what the certificate says:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private First Class Desmond Thomas Doss, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty from April 29 – 21 May 1945, while serving with the Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division, in action at Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. Private First Class Doss was a company aid man when the 1st Battalion assaulted a jagged escarpment 400 feet high. As our troops gained the summit, a heavy concentration of artillery, mortar and machine gun fire crashed into them, inflicting approximately 75 casualties and driving the others back. Pfc. Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying all 75 casualties 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. On May 2, he exposed himself to heavy rifle and mortar fire in rescuing a wounded man 200 yards forward of the lines on the same escarpment; and 2 days later he treated 4 men who had been cut down while assaulting a strongly defended cave, advancing through a shower of grenades to within eight yards of enemy forces in a cave's mouth, where he dressed his comrades' wounds before making 4 separate trips under fire to evacuate them to safety. On May 5, he unhesitatingly braved enemy shelling and small arms fire to assist an artillery officer. He applied bandages, moved his patient to a spot that offered protection from small arms fire and, while artillery and mortar shells fell close by, painstakingly administered plasma. Later that day, when an American was severely wounded by fire from a cave, Pfc. Doss crawled to him where he had fallen 25 feet from the enemy position, rendered aid, and carried him 100 yards to safety while continually exposed to enemy fire. On May 21, in a night attack on high ground near Shuri, he remained in exposed territory while the rest of his company took cover, fearlessly risking the chance that he would be mistaken for an infiltrating Japanese and giving aid to the injured until he was himself seriously wounded in the legs by the explosion of a grenade. Rather than call another aid man from cover, he cared for his own injuries and waited 5 hours before litter bearers reached him and started carrying him to cover. The trio was caught in an enemy tank attack and Pfc. Doss, seeing a more critically wounded man nearby, crawled off the litter; and directed the bearers to give their first attention to the other man. Awaiting the litter bearers' return, he was again struck, by a sniper bullet while being carried off the field by a comrade, this time suffering a compound fracture of one arm. With magnificent fortitude he bound a rifle stock to his shattered arm as a splint and then crawled 300 yards over rough terrain to the aid station. Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions Pfc. 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.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was born on May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri United States, and died at age 88 years old on December 26, 1972 in Kansas City. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Harry S. Truman.
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Desmond Thomas Doss
Desmond Thomas Doss was an American hero, a devout Christian, and a model of courage and selflessness. He was born on February 7, 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia to parents William Thomas Doss (1893-1989) and Bertha Edward Oliver (1899-1983). He had two siblings; Audrey Wyatt Doss (1916-2003) and Harold Edward Doss (1922-2007). Doss grew up in poverty and left school after just one year of high school. Despite his lack of formal education, Doss was a skilled worker and held a variety of jobs throughout his life, including carpenter's assistant, blacksmith, and mechanic. However, it was his service in the United States Army during World War II that earned Doss his place in history. As a conscientious objector, Doss refused to carry a weapon or participate in any act of violence. Despite facing ridicule and opposition from his fellow soldiers and superiors, Doss proved himself to be a brave and dedicated soldier, earning the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Okinawa. He also saved (by his count 50, by the Army's count 75) men in the Battle of Hacksaw Ridge. For more information and a number of photos highlighting this man's life see Desmond Doss The Real Life Hero of Hacksaw Ridge. After the war, Doss returned to civilian life, where he continued to live by his faith and his principles of non-violence and compassion. He worked as a barber, a salesman, and a maintenance mechanic at a shipbuilding company. Doss also became a popular speaker and advocate for veterans' issues, traveling around the country to share his experiences and his message of peace.
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