Desmond doss brother

Top image: Lead Image: Desmond Doss courtesy of the US National Archives.

During World War II, over 70,000 men were designated conscientious objectors, mostly men whose religious beliefs made them opposed to war. Some refused to serve, but 25,000 joined the US armed forces in noncombat roles such as medics and chaplains. Desmond T. Doss of Lynchburg, Virginia, was one of those men, though he personally shunned the title of conscientious objector.

Doss, born in 1919, was raised with a strong belief in the Bible and the Ten Commandments, attending a Seventh-day Adventist church. He held particularly strong views against killing and working on the sabbath, which as a Seventh-day Adventist, he observed on Saturday. When the United States entered the war, Doss was working at the Newport News Naval Shipyard. It would have been easy in 1942 for Doss to apply for a deferment, and many would have expected as much from someone who refused to bear arms against another. Doss, however, felt a calling to serve his country and to help his fellow man. When he was drafted in the spring

Desmond Doss' Biography

Desmond Doss

Doss was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, son of William Thomas Doss, a carpenter, and Bertha E. (Oliver) Doss.

Desmond Doss enlisted in April 1942, but refused to kill or carry a weapon into combat because of his personal beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist. He consequently became a medic, and while serving in the Pacific theatre of World War II he helped his country by saving the lives of his comrades, at the same time adhering to his religious convictions. Doss was wounded three times during the war, and shortly before leaving the Army he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, which cost him a lung. Discharged from the Army in 1946, he spent five years undergoing medical treatment for his injuries and illness.

Desmond Doss died in 2006 at his home in Piedmont, Alabama, after being hospitalized for breathing troubles, the same day as another Medal of Honor recipient, David Bleak. He was buried in Chattanooga, Tennessee's National Cemetery.

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External Links (open in new windows)

Army Medical History

Link to WIKIPedia page

 

Desmond Doss

US soldier and Medal of Honor recipient (1919–2006)

Desmond Doss

Doss, photographed prior to receiving the Medal of Honor in October 1945

Birth nameDesmond Thomas Doss
Born(1919-02-07)February 7, 1919
Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S.
DiedMarch 23, 2006(2006-03-23) (aged 87)
Piedmont, Alabama, U.S.
Buried

Chattanooga National Cemetery, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1942–1946
RankCorporal
Service number33158036
UnitCompany B, 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division
Battles / wars
AwardsMedal of Honor
Bronze Star Medal (2)
Purple Heart (3)
Spouse(s)
  • Dorothy Schutte

    (m. 1942; died 1991)​
  • Frances Duman

    (m. 1993)​
ChildrenDesmond Doss Jr. (b. 1946)

Desmond Thomas Doss (February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006)[1] was a United States Armycorporal who served as a comb

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