Desmond Thomas Doss (1919-2006)

Lynchburg native Desmond T. Doss grew up nearby in the Fairview Heights neighborhood. A member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church and a pacifist, Doss was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II but refused to bear arms. Though officially labeled a conscientious objector, he considered himself a “conscientious cooperator.” Doss served as a medic with the 77th Infantry Division on Okinawa in the spring of 1945. On 5 May, under intense fire, he saved about 75 wounded men by lowering each one down a cliff. Later in May he was badly wounded but gave up his place on a litter to another soldier. In Oct. 1945 Doss became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor.