When I was a little kid, I was quite the reader. During the summer of 1985 (and numerous other times), I devoured my parents' Time Life World War II series. In one of the books - it was either Island Fighting or The Road to Tokyo - I read about an American medic on Okinawa named Desmond Doss. He was a Seventh Day Adventist and a pacifist. So when the draft board came knocking, did he slap a "Visualize World Peace" bumper sticker on his car and tell them to get lost? No, he went into the Army as a medic. He didn't have to carry a rifle or engage the enemy, but that doesn't mean that his situation was any less dangerous. His job was to be right in the thick of it on the battlefield and tend to his fellow soldiers who fell wounded.
On numerous occasions during the Battle of Okinawa, Desmond Doss saved dozens of his fellow soldiers, all the while being shot and shrapneled to holy hell. For his many selfless actions, Doss was awarded the Medal of Honor. If you want to read exactly what he did, here is his citation.
On March 23, 2006, Desmond Doss died at the age of 87. It has been over a week since he died, but word of it has only now reached the papers.
I have read that something like 2,000 World War II veterans die every day. Within another 10 or 20 years, they will all be gone. Some people wonder if bravery like that even exists in this country anymore. I can assure you it does. If you don't believe me, read the citation of Sergeant First Class Paul Smith; the only U.S. serviceman so far to be awarded the Medal of Honor for service in the War on Terrorism. This medal was posthumus.
Good Day to You, Sir
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was, and never will be." --Thomas Jefferson
5 comments:
It´s very sad to read someone like you that still believe in all that the(u.s.) media will sell you. Hope that you open your eyes and see that the only violent people of the word are Americans as they, wrongly, call them self´s, the only predators of the word, the only opresors, and the only ones that will make this planet the worst place to live.
than you very much for making all the rest of the word thank for every day that you let us be.
And notice that anonymous doesn't even identify himself. What a coward, as well as an idiot.
The funniest comment from this clown was his assertion that Americans are the only violent people, and the only oppressors in the world. That's rich.
Chanman
Oh, one other thing, clown:
This post was about the death of a true American hero who helped save the world from the true violence and oppression of Imperial Japan.
Way to besmirch his honor and memory with your idiotic comments.
By the way, I thank you for your comments and I hope you continue to patronize my blog.
Regards,
Chanman
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