On this day in 1945, Desmond Doss became the only conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor after saving an estimated 75 men during the Battle of Hacksaw Ridge in the invasion of Okinawa. 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 307th infantry in the 77th infantry division. READ about his heroism… (1945)
Raised as a Sabbath-keeping non-violent vegetarian, Doss joined the army as a medic and never carried a weapon. In Guam and the Philippines, he was awarded two bronze stars with a V on them for valorous deeds rather than meritorious achievement.
During the Battle of Okinawa, he saved dozens of wounded soldiers atop an area known as the Medea Escarpment,