This past Wednesday was Veteran's Day. Among other things, I thought of poignant movies of WWII made in the last 25 years that tell their stirring stories, such as Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, The Flags of Our Fathers, Miracle at St. Anna, and the TV series of Band of Brothers and Pacific to name just a few.
Another American film, Hacksaw Ridge, joined the above list in 2016. After a 10-year absence from filmmaking, the controversial director Mel Gibson decided to join the fray with this epic film. It is not based on a true story or inspired by a true story. It is a true story.
The movie tells the narrative of Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who enlists in the Army. While viewed as a coward by his fellow soldiers for his refusal to conform to the Army's regulation of carrying a weapon, Desmond Doss demonstrates superior valor and courage in the battle at Hacksaw Ridge in his daring search and rescue of hundreds of men transforming both the perceptions of his comrades and the American military.
Hacksaw Ridge provides a unique point of view on the war. Historian Stephen Ambrose’s books and the aforementioned films primarily define the courageousness of American soldiers through their masculine, unmitigated determination, and adroit use of bullets and bombs. This movie counters that portrayal with Doss’s commitment to pacifism due to his religious faith as a Seventh Day Adventist. In his childhood, he had a lithograph poster of Cain killing Abel with a club and wondered how anyone could kill another; such an image seared in young Doss’s mind that any kind of killing was immoral and abhorrent (Puddy, et al 116).
Yet, he wanted to serve his country after America declared war. He felt that he could that best by being a medic in the field of battle. He could make a tangible difference by attending to the wounded and hurt. Never has there been an American war film where the protagonist’s courage and mettle are not tested only by the enemy but also the wrath of his comrades and superiors.
Once he joins the Army and trains, we view the harsh attitude and treatment of Doss by his fellow soldiers and superiors. In particular, the character of Smitty Ryker repeatedly verbally and physically abuses Doss for his seeming cowardice by refusing to even touch a rifle. Smitty influences the unit to question Doss’s masculinity, they subsequently treat him as a pariah.
They make Doss's life hell. In a review of the film, NPR writer Elizabeth Blair interviewed Terry Benedict who made an in-depth documentary on Doss. "It started out as harassment and then it became abusive,” Benedict shared. “They considered him a pest, questioned his sincerity and threw shoes at him while he prayed” (Blair). The soldiers in the film are not alone in their detesting of Doss during training. Sergeant Howell and Captain Glover equally humiliate him and attempt to have him discharged for psychiatric reasons. Yet, the actual reason was his religious beliefs (Puddy, et al 116). The Constitution that he vowed to uphold in his military service was being used against him. Consequently, Doss forced their hand, and the attempt of discharge was dropped.
Hacksaw Ridge then shows the change in perception among his platoon as they watch him in action on the battlefield.
What will this pacifist and religious freak do?
The Japanese are annihilating the Americans in the Pacific theatre of the war in 1942. Casualties seem infinite. But Doss’s actions thwart some of the Japanese success, specifically in Okinawa. As the movie shows, Doss searches and removes wounded comrades in the dark of the night to safety as bullets and grenades nearly imperil his efforts. The audience learns of the unbelievably heroic and harrowing feats of Doss. He repeats over and over “just one more”. He saves 75 men. In a later documentary, Doss shared despite their cruelty towards him, “I knew these men...they were my buddies, some had wives and children. If they were hurt, I wanted to be there to take care of them” (Telzrow 3).
His platoon is flummoxed. Doss’s heroic deeds actually show him to have more courage and valor because of his pacifism as bullets and grenades whiz by and around him. His unimaginative actions on the battlefield immediately transform him into the actual hero.
Two significant scenes in the film vividly show the heroism of Doss. First, after Doss valiantly saves Howell (there were several times that Doss actually did this; one time, he dragged a soldier 100 yards) and finally himself, the unit's captain escorts a bloodied and exhausted Doss back to camp, but before they reach it, the camera pans to his grateful comrades who form a type of receiving line as they walk by. Gibson zooms in on their faces which poignantly show their admiration, respect, and honor of him. They realize the true hero among them.
Then the next day, Glover tells Doss that the men will not engage in the next battle unless Doss joins them. He does. Before they resume the warfare, Doss is reading his Bible and praying, and as if General Patton were there instead, the men wait for him to finish. As they wait, a commanding officer is yelling about their delay to the battlefield. Glover responds that the men are waiting for Doss who is praying. “Who is Doss?” questions the officer.
That question serves as a reminder of the thesis for the movie. It was not the battles at Hacksaw Ridge. It was not even whether the Americans defeated the Japanese in the Pacific. It was: who was Desmond Doss?
Doss not only transformed perceptions of his fellow comrades and superior offices but the United States military too. They awarded him the highest honor possible with the Medal of Honor at a ceremony with President Truman at the White House. Truman read the following words: "Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions Private First-Class Doss saved the lives of many soldiers. His name became a symbol throughout the 77th Infantry Division for outstanding gallantry far above and beyond the call of duty." The president then hung the Medal of Honor around Doss's neck.
He also received two Bronze Star Medals and a Purple Heart. A statue of Doss was placed in the National Museum of Patriotism in Atlanta (Collegedale-American Legion). The guest house at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., was renamed Doss Memorial Hall (Flax).
To this day, the stories of Desmond Doss are those of legend in the Army. And they should be. He loved his country and served her, and in doing so he overcame the physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually adversity of both the Japanese and his own fellow soldiers. In this, Hacksaw Ridge redefines such a word as "hero" and challenges us to view Doss in the same light as those who valiantly fought with guns, tanks, airplanes, and ships for our liberties during World War II.
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