Who was the Army medic who refused to carry a gun? Why did Desmond Doss not carry a gun?

Desmond Thomas Doss was a United States Army corporal who fought in World War II as a combat medic with an infantry company. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal twice for his actions in Guam and the Philippines.

Doss worked as a joiner in a shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, prior to the outbreak of World War II.

On April 1, 1942, at Camp Lee, Virginia, he chose military service over a deferral due to his shipyard work.

Doss intended to continue his carpentry trade after the war, but a serious injury to his left arm prevented him from doing so.

Doss died on March 23, 2006, at his home in Piedmont, Alabama, after being hospitalized for trouble breathing.

Who was the Army medic who refused to carry a gun?

Desmond Doss is credited with saving 75 soldiers during one of the bloodiest battles of World War II in the Pacific — and he did it without ever carrying a weapon.

Why did Desmond Doss not carry a gun?

Doss refused to carry a weapon into combat because of his personal beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist against killing.

He consequently became a medic assigned to the 2nd Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division.