First Lieutenant Onless C. Brister submitted this statement describing the medical aid that Private First Class Desmond T. Doss gave to injured soldiers from April 29 to May 8 on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands.
Doss was a contentious objector during World War II. He entered the military, but refused to kill enemy soldiers or carry a weapon because of his religious beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist. He served in a non-combatant role as a medic. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945 - one of the few conscientious objectors ever to earn the award - for his heroic action assisting injured soldiers near Urasoe-Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands.
Brister's statement, and others like it from fellow soldiers, helped support awarding the Medal of Honor to Doss.
Doss was a contentious objector during World War II. He entered the military, but refused to kill enemy soldiers or carry a weapon because of his religious beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist. He served in a non-combatant role as a medic. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945 - one of the few conscientious objectors ever to earn the award - for his heroic action assisting injured soldiers near Urasoe-Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands.
Brister's statement, and others like it from fellow soldiers, helped support awarding the Medal of Honor to Doss.