14th Nov Desmond Doss

Good morning,

I hope you all had a happy Veterans day on Friday and like me, paid tribute to fallen comrades.

In today's newsletter we salute the incredible courage of....

Desmond Doss

A Medal of Honor recipient "Doss crawled to within 75 yards of enemy lines to rescue a wounded comrade, dragging him while under constant sniper fire". How did it end? Read below ⬇️ 

Desmond was born in Lynchburg, Virginia on February 7, 1919 and was from a large family as he was one of seven children. His father was a WWI veteran who had been gassed in France and died from this eventually. Desmond's mother worked hard to support her family, but they were still very poor. It meant Desmond had to quit school after eighth grade to help support his family, life was tough already!

Desmond enlisted in the U.S. Army in April 1942 and was assigned to the 307th Infantry, 77th Division. He married his girlfriend Dorothy Schutte in 1942 before he deployed overseas and he served as a combat medic through which he saw action on Guam and Leyte in the Philippines, before he went on to serve in the now famous, Okinawa.

On May 5, 1945, his unit was attacking a heavily defended Japanese position on Okinawa, Desmond was wounded by gunfire while rescuing a wounded soldier. He refused to be evacuated and continued to treat the wounded for another day before he was finally evacuated.

Desmond Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor on October 12, 1945, by President Harry S. Truman. The citation reads: "For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 5 May 1945, in Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. After his company had suffered 50% casualties as a result of enemy gun fire, Doss crawled to within 75 yards of enemy lines to rescue a wounded comrade, dragging him back to a safe area while under constant sniper fire and within range of Japanese howitzers. As our troops prepared to withdraw after having taken their objective, Doss exposed himself to heavy rifle and mortar fire in order to retrieve several casualties"

After the War he continued to serve as a medic with the Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Guard, and Desmond and his wife had one child together, a son who was born in 1946. Desmond worked as a carpenter after the war and helped build hospitals and homes around his local area.

Desmond Doss died on March 23, 2006 at the age of 87. His Medal of Honor is on display at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Rest In Peace

Did you know?

The Department of Defense is the largest employer in the U.S. with 1.3 million active-duty military personnel and over 800,000 in reserves.

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