Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss's Life

That Others May Live I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, I will never leave a fallen comrade. This is the ethos that Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss lived by every day. He lived up to the Army’s Warrior Ethos and the core Army values and did not deviate from those even though his religious beliefs forbade him from carrying a weapon or killing another even in combat. Doss refused a section 8 discharge and consequently became a combat medic in the 77th infantry division. This is where PFC. Doss will face the most difficult challenges of his life as he heads to the pacific theater and later as he returns a hero.

Doss was very loyal to his country and his men in this time of need during World …show more content…
Doss’s selfless service is what saved the lives of over 75 men on the Okinawa escarpment assault. He put his teammate’s lives above his own and carried all of his men one–by–one to the edge of the escarpment. While giving the men basic treatment and for some administering plasma. He was able to work them down the face of the escarpment using a rope guided litter. Doss’s personal courage and his ability to face adversity in very dire situations helps him exceed expectations and go above and beyond the call of duty. He was not only saving the lives of the wounded in battle but Doss himself was also part of the casualties. In another daring rescue Doss and his men were fighting through the night and while the rest of his men took cover he continued to treat his patient. While Doss was treating his patient though he was severely injured in his legs by a grenade blast. Instead of calling for another medic to come to his aid he treated his own wounds and waited for five hours with his patient until litter bearers came to assist them. Doss was a very honorable man and he continued to fight and treat his fellow comrades even when he was the one who needed …show more content…
Doss received the Medal of Honor on November 1, 1945 for his outstanding bravery and his unflinching determination to save the lives of his men. Doss displays all of the Army values and every notion of the warrior ethos. He never gave up on his men, the mission, or his faith. Doss understood the all the difficulties the Army had to offer and he took them head on and thrived as a leader. Though he may have only been a Private first class at the time of his actions, he was looked up to as a leader. Doss has proven that rank doesn’t define a person, it’s the display of a person’s values and ethos that makes everyone around them want to be