LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — October 12 is a day of honor for a local veteran who put his faith first as he saved the lives of more than 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa.
The date marks 75 years since Lynchburg-raised veteran Desmond Doss received the Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman. The Lynchburg Area Veterans Council held a ceremony Monday at his birthplace on Garfield Avenue, which now serves as a residence for homeless veterans.
After hearing a reading of the city proclamation by Councilman Sterling Wilder, The Military Order of the World Wars presented a plaque memorializing Doss’ service. It will hang on the front of the veteran home.
As city leaders, veterans and residents gathered to honor Doss’ legacy, his son Desmond Doss Jr. says there is nowhere else he would rather honor his father.
“There’s a lot of places that have tried to honor my father in one way or another with statues and stuff, but this is where he was born,” Doss Jr. said. “This is where he started his life.”
Doss saved the lives of at least 75 soldiers in Japan. He served as a combat medic who went into battle unarmed because his religious beliefs did not allow him to kill.
Doss Jr. says we should all model after his father each day by choosing to love others and show kindness.
“I love the phrase that he said over and over and over and over as he rescued these men: ‘Lord, just one more'” Doss Jr. said. “And as we go through our day, I think we can have that mantra, too. Can I just make a difference for just one more?'”
