Desmond Doss: The Hero of Hacksaw Ridge

By Nicholas Varangis "One of the greatest heroes in American history never fired a bullet." That is the tagline of Director Mel Gibson's film, Hacksaw Ridge, which opened in theaters November 4, 2016. The film, which was met with wide acclaim from critics, tells the incredible true story of Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor. But who is Desmond Doss? And what makes his story so unique? Before Hacksaw Ridge: A Seventh-Day Adventist Enlists Desmond Thomas Doss was born on February 7, 1919 in Lynchburg, Virginia to Thomas and Bertha E. Doss. Doss' family was deeply spiritually divided. His father, left devastated by the Great Depression, was not a deeply religious man and drank heavily. His mother meanwhile devoutly followed the Seventh Day Adventist faith and had Doss and his two siblings attend church regularly. Component in the beliefs of Seventh Day Adventists is the strict adherence to the Ten Commandments. The Sixth Commandment, 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' would especially resonate with young Desmond Doss. An argument between Thomas Doss and his brother-in-law escalated when Thomas drew a firearm. Bertha Doss stepped in between them and talked Desmond's father into giving over his gun and surrendering to the police. To Desmond, the encounter was all too reminiscent of Cain and Abel, the biblical story of fratricide. From that point onward Desmond Doss grew up to personally object to violence and murder of all kind, to include insta