CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The only conscientious objector to receive a Medal of Honor in World War II has been buried at a national cemetery with a 21-gun salute, although he refused to carry a weapon while serving as an Army medic.

Desmond T. Doss Sr., 87, died March 23 in Piedmont, Ala., where he and his wife, Frances, had been living with family.
A horse-drawn hearse delivered the flag-covered casket to the grave site Monday in the Chattanooga National Cemetery. Military helicopters flew overhead in a tribute formation.

Doss had endured ridicule for his beliefs but "remained true to his convictions even when it was not the most popular thing to do," said Patti Parks, a retired Navy commander and director of the Medal of Honor Museum in Chattanooga.

Doss, who served in the Pacific, was the subject of a book, The Unlikeliest Hero, and a 2004 documentary, "The Conscientious Objector."
While under enemy fire on the island of Okinawa, Doss carried 75 wounded soldiers to the edge of a 400-foot cliff and lowered them to safety, according to his citation.

During a later attack, he was seriously wounded in the legs by a grenade. According to the citation, as he was being carried to safety, he saw a more critically injured man and crawled off his stretcher, directing the medics to help the other wounded man.

A true hero and a Christian Gentleman

I missed this post Frank. Thanks for sharing. I've heard of people who had religious convictions that made it difficult to fight, though they did in fact fight. This is the first person I've heard about that went so far as to become a concientous objector, and then went on to win the M.O.H.

I find it amazing that such men had the guts to go out into the fight unarmed, and didn't even get special pay or a special badge, like the C.I.B. until late in the war.

What a fine example. Not everyone who goes to battle has to pull the trigger. This spent his service pulling wounded out of harms way. The Objectors these days that pansy out of the battle or run out of the country should be ashamed.

Now that is something we would all truly like to have as a homage...

R.I.P. Desmond...