Medal of Honor: Desmond T. Doss - World War II - April 29 to May 21, 1945

Name: Desmond T. Doss
Rank: Private First Class
Branch: U.S. Army
War: World War II
Unit: Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division
Date of Action: April 29 - May 21, 1945
Location: Near Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands

Summary of Action

From 29 April through 21 May 1945, Private First Class Desmond T. Doss displayed extraordinary heroism during some of the fiercest fighting of the Battle of Okinawa.

Serving as a company aid man with the 77th Infantry Division, Doss accompanied infantrymen during repeated assaults against heavily fortified Japanese positions along the rugged escarpments near Shuri.

During one major attack, American troops climbed a jagged 400-foot escarpment and reached the summit only to be devastated by concentrated artillery, mortar, and machine-gun fire.

Approximately seventy-five soldiers were wounded as the survivors withdrew under the relentless bombardment.

Doss refused to retreat.

Remaining alone in the exposed kill zone, he moved through enemy fire searching for wounded men.

One by one, he carried injured soldiers to the edge of the cliff and lowered them by rope-supported litter down the escarpment to safety below.

Again and again he returned into the gunfire for more wounded comrades.

Over the following days, Doss repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to rescue and treat wounded soldiers.

On 2 May, he crawled two hundred yards forward under rifle and mortar fire to rescue a wounded man near enemy positions.

Two days later, while American troops assaulted a heavily defended cave system, Doss advanced through exploding grenades to within yards of the cave entrance to treat wounded soldiers trapped under enemy fire.

He made four separate trips to evacuate the wounded to safety.

On 5 May, he braved shellfire and sniper fire to aid a wounded artillery officer, carefully administering plasma while mortar rounds exploded nearby.

Later the same day, he crawled to another soldier lying only twenty-five feet from an enemy cave and carried him one hundred yards back to safety under constant fire.

On 21 May, during a nighttime attack near Shuri, Doss remained in exposed terrain treating wounded soldiers while the rest of the company took cover.

A grenade exploded near him, severely wounding his legs.

Rather than risk another medic’s life, Doss treated his own wounds and waited five hours for litter bearers to reach him.

As he was being evacuated, enemy tanks attacked the area.

Seeing another soldier more critically wounded nearby, Doss ordered the litter bearers to save the other man first and crawled off the litter himself.

While waiting for help to return, he was struck again and suffered a compound fracture of his arm.

Using a rifle stock as a splint, Doss bound his shattered arm and crawled three hundred yards over rough terrain to the aid station.

Throughout the Okinawa campaign, his fearless devotion to saving others became legendary throughout the 77th Infantry Division.

Medal of Honor Citation

DOSS, DESMOND T.

Citation:Private First Class Desmond T. Doss, United States Army, Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division. Near Urasoe-Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 29 April - 21 May 1945. He was a company aid man when the 1st Battalion assaulted a jagged escarpment 400 feet high. As our troops gained the summit, a heavy concentration of artillery, mortar and machinegun fire crashed into them, inflicting approximately 75 casualties and driving the others back. Private First Class Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying them one by one to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a rope-supported litter down the face of a cliff to friendly hands. On 2 May, he exposed himself to heavy rifle and mortar fire in rescuing a wounded man 200 yards forward of the lines on the same escarpment; and two days later he treated four men who had been cut down while assaulting a strongly defended cave, advancing through a shower of grenades to within eight yards of enemy forces in a cave's mouth, where he dressed his comrades' wounds before making four separate trips under fire to evacuate them to safety. On 5 May, he unhesitatingly braved enemy shelling and small arms fire to assist an artillery officer. He applied bandages, moved his patient to a spot that offered protection from small-arms fire and, while artillery and mortar shells fell close by, painstakingly administered plasma. Later that day, when an American was severely wounded by fire from a cave, Private First Class Doss crawled to him where he had fallen 25 feet from the enemy position, rendered aid, and carried him 100 yards to safety while continually exposed to enemy fire. On 21 May, in a night attack on high ground near Shuri, he remained in exposed territory while the rest of his company took cover, fearlessly risking the chance that he would be mistaken for an infiltrating Japanese and giving aid to the injured until he was himself seriously wounded in the legs by the explosion of a grenade. Rather than call another aid man from cover, he cared for his own injuries and waited five hours before litter bearers reached him and started carrying him to cover. The trio was caught in an enemy tank attack and Private First Class Doss, seeing a more critically wounded man nearby, crawled off the litter and directed the bearers to give their first attention to the other man. Awaiting the litter bearers' return, he was again struck, this time suffering a compound fracture of one arm. With magnificent fortitude he bound a rifle stock to his shattered arm as a splint and then crawled 300 yards over rough terrain to the aid station. Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions Private First Class Doss saved the lives of many soldiers. His name became a symbol throughout the 77th Infantry Division for outstanding gallantry far above and beyond the call of duty.