He Saved 75 Men Without Firing A Shot: Desmond Doss's Miracle at Hacksaw Ridge | WWII Hero

Описание: Desmond Doss walked into one of World War II's bloodiest battles without a weapon. As Japanese machine guns tore through American soldiers at Hacksaw Ridge on Okinawa, this Seventh-day Adventist combat medic refused to carry a rifle—yet single-handedly saved 75 wounded men, lowering them one by one down a 400-foot escarpment while under constant enemy fire. His prayer, repeated throughout that hellish night: "Lord, please help me get one more." This is the true story behind the Hollywood film—the conscientious objector who became the first Medal of Honor recipient to never fire a shot in combat.4

This documentary reveals the complete story of Desmond Doss, from his religious awakening that shaped his convictions to the brutal reality of Hacksaw Ridge where those convictions were tested beyond human endurance. Experience the persecution he faced during basic training when fellow soldiers viewed his pacifism as cowardice. Witness the court-martial threat that nearly destroyed his military career before he ever reached combat. And discover the events of May 5, 1945, when this man his unit once despised became the hero who refused to leave the battlefield until every wounded soldier was saved.

[Key Topics Covered]
• Desmond Doss's childhood in Lynchburg, Virginia and religious upbringing
• The Ten Commandments picture that shaped his conviction against killing
• Seventh-day Adventist beliefs about the Sabbath and the sanctity of life
• Decision to enlist after Pearl Harbor despite pacifist convictions
• Serving as a combat medic: saving life instead of taking it
• Persecution during basic training at Fort Jackson
• Fellow soldiers' hostility, harassment, and attempts to get him discharged
• Threatened court-martial for refusing to carry a weapon
• Father's intervention and how Doss earned the right to serve
• Deployment to Pacific Theater: Guam and Leyte campaigns
• Battle of Okinawa: April-June 1945, bloodiest Pacific battle
• Hacksaw Ridge (Maeda Escarpment): 400-foot cliff and Japanese fortifications
• May 5, 1945: The day that changed everything
• American assault repulsed, massive casualties, retreat ordered
• Doss's decision to stay behind alone to rescue wounded
• Lowering 75 men down the escarpment using a rope sling and double bowline knot
• "One more, Lord, please help me get one more" - his repeated prayer
• Rescuing wounded under machine gun fire, grenades, and artillery
• Treating enemy soldiers as well as Americans
• May 21 injuries: Grenade wounds to legs and shattered arm from sniper bullet
• Giving up his stretcher for more seriously wounded soldier
• Crawling 300 yards to safety, compound fracture untreated for hours
• Medal of Honor ceremony, October 12, 1945, presented by President Truman
• Post-war life, tuberculosis treatment, loss of lung and several ribs
• 55-year marriage to Dorothy Schutte
• Speaking about faith and his experiences
• Recognition: Subject of documentary "The Conscientious Objector" (2004)
• Hollywood film "Hacksaw Ridge" (2016) brings story to worldwide audience
• Legacy: Proving courage isn't measured by weapons carried

The Battle of Okinawa (April 1-June 22, 1945) was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War—548,000 American troops involved. It was also the bloodiest: approximately 12,000 Americans killed, 38,000+ wounded, and an estimated 100,000+ Japanese soldiers killed. Civilian casualties exceeded 100,000. The island's capture was critical for staging the planned invasion of mainland Japan.

Hacksaw Ridge—properly called the Maeda Escarpment—was a 400-foot near-vertical cliff that formed a natural fortress. Japanese forces had honeycombed it with caves, tunnels, and fortified positions. American forces faced interlocking fields of fire from machine guns, mortars, and artillery. Soldiers climbed cargo nets to reach the top, where they were immediately exposed to devastating fire. The ridge changed hands multiple times in savage fighting.

On May 5, 1945, the American assault was repulsed with heavy casualties. As the order to retreat came, wounded men lay scattered across the ridgetop, unable to evacuate themselves. Most soldiers withdrew, assuming the wounded would be lost. Desmond Doss stayed behind. For nearly 12 hours, he moved across the battlefield—dodging bullets, grenades, and shell fragments—treating wounded soldiers and dragging or carrying them to the escarpment edge. There, he rigged a rope sling and lowered each man down the 400-foot cliff face using a double bowline knot he'd learned as a child. Over and over, he prayed: "Please Lord, help me get one more."