During World War II, combat medic Desmond Thomas Doss of the US Army worked with an infantry company. For his efforts in Guam and the Philippines, he received the Bronze Star Medal twice.
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Doss worked as a joiner at a Newport News, Virginia, shipyard prior to the start of World War II.
On April 1, 1942, at Camp Lee, Virginia, he made the decision to enlist despite being given the chance to be excused due to his shipyard employment.
Doss had intended to pursue a career in carpentry after the war, but severe arm injuries prevented him from doing so.
Doss passed away on March 23, 2006, at his home in Piedmont, Alabama, after being admitted to the hospital for breathing problems.
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Image Credit: IMDb
How brave was Desmond Doss?
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, Private First Class Doss saved the lives of many soldiers.
Did Desmond Doss have PTSD?
Doss, who was injured at Hacksaw Ridge in Urasoe during the fighting, was admitted to a U.S. Army hospital five and a half years after the war for symptoms including persistent dreams of the battle, suffering from what we now know as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
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