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Matt Parra on living a life that matters

If you want to live a life that matters – one that people will remember – then it pays to take a closer look at how Desmond Doss approached life.

Doss had no idea that his actions during World War 2 would inspire people. He never planned to be a hero, and he certainly never sought out recognition – even after his amazing accomplishments. Desmond simply did what he thought was the right thing to do.

Matt Parra explains why we should take the same approach. By simply aiming to do the right thing at the right time, we can make a difference to those around us. Especially if we’re supported by faith.

People might not write a book about you or shoot a Hollywood film that tells your story, but you will lead a meaningful life. And that’ll make you a hero in the eyes of those around you.

 

This is one of the concepts we explore further in our study guides.

There’s twelve in total that you can take at your own pace, covering a wide range of topics from motivation through to faith.  Take a look now.

 

Beyond the call of duty
Doss was a conscientious objector because he didn’t want to take lives

“He who wishes to fight must first count the cost,” said Chinese general Sun Tzu in The Art of War, his book on military strategy.

By Vania Chew.

 

Desmond Doss was all too aware of the cost that would come with war. During his childhood, he often spent time looking at a framed poster of the Ten Commandments that his father had bought at an auction. The poster depicted Cain, a man who had killed his brother, holding a club and standing over his brother’s body (you can read the story in Genesis 4).

“When I looked at that picture, I came to the Sixth Commandment, ‘Thou shalt not kill,’” said Doss. “I wondered how in the world could a brother do such a thing? It put a horror in my heart of just killing.”

How could a man go to war if he refused to kill? If he didn’t want to carry a weapon, the battlefield should be the last place that he wanted to be. In fact, Doss was offered plenty of opportunities to avoid the wartime conflict — even a psychiatric discharge that would deem him unfit for war. But he wouldn’t accept the discharge.

Irish statesman Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Doss was a conscientious objector because he didn’t want to take lives. However, he also recognised that his service could help save lives. And he wasn’t content to do a poor job. He was determined to serve to the best of his ability. As Doss lowered soldier after soldier to safety in the midst of enemy fire, he would pray, “Lord, help me get one more!”

Matthew 7:12 says, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.” (NLT). If we were in positions of need, we would want people to do their best to help us. Doss’ story of service should inspire us to help those in need — not only to serve, but to go beyond the call of duty.

Conquering the Unconquerable
Desmond Doss tackled unconquerable battles with an unwavering faith.

Desmond Doss tackled unconquerable battles with an unwavering faith.

By Maritza Brunt.

 

Picture this: it’s May 1945. The B Company of the 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division, is about to scale a 400-foot-high ridge. Waiting for them over the crest is a minefield of several thousand Japanese soldiers with machine guns, snipers and submachine guns.

For the US soldiers, even armed with their own rifles and weapons, it was a challenge of immeasurable proportions.

But for one medic, it was virtually impossible.

Desmond Doss ran headfirst into this inexorable battle without a single weapon or concern for his personal safety. From the point of his fellow troops, it was inconceivable; there was no way he’d survive the battle without a weapon. But Doss knew that he didn’t need a gun to fight his battle. He only needed his faith to know that he was already more than a conqueror through Christ, who loved him (Romans 8:37).

The Battle of Okinawa, one of the most brutal battles of World War II, was won by the Allied troops in June of 1945. The soldiers overcame. Desmond Doss singlehandedly saved the lives of 75 of his fellow soldiers following one particularly intense encounter during the battle — there were many more he saved during the rest of his service in the Army. The insurmountable challenge was completed.

Although you may not run headfirst into a war setting without a weapon, we all have our own Battles of Okinawa: tasks and challenges that we face that — at first — may seem unconquerable. What can we do in these cases?

Doss’s solution was simple: never let go of your faith. He didn’t back down from his convictions and stood up for what he believed in even in the face of adversary. He prayed constantly, asking God for strength. He treasured God’s Word and valued it above all else.

He tackled unconquerable battles with an unwavering faith.

And he conquered — every time.

 

Meet Desmond Doss: The hero of Hacksaw Ridge
desmond doss dragged 75 men to safety during the ferocious battle

The men were ordered to withdraw but Doss refused – instead, he single-handedly dragged 75 wounded and dying soldiers to the ledge before lowering them to safety.

By Natalia Grobler.

 

The same man who had been ostracised by the army soon became the object of their deep admiration and respect. He shipped out with the 307th Infantry in the summer of 1944, and served as a combat medic on Guam and at Leyte in the Philippines. Doss fearlessly charged into exposed areas under heavy artillery fire without a weapon to treat casualties and drag wounded soldiers to safety. Doss went out sometimes without orders or even against orders. He believed that as long as there was life there was hope.

The most fierce fighting of the war in the Pacific occurred at Okinawa on an escarpment approximately 90 metres high that was known as Hacksaw Ridge. On 29 April, 1945, a brutal battle was fought. The men were ordered to withdraw but Doss refused. He single-handedly spent 12 hours dragging 75 wounded and dying soldiers to the ledge before lowering them to safety.  Some of the injured were hauled 100 metres. Doss was a slight man weighing around 70kg and yet at times he supported one soldier under each arm. Bullets whizzed past him, but he was not hit.  One Japanese soldier claimed to have had clear shots of Doss as he worked that night, but each time he fired, the rifle jammed. Doss saved on average one man every 10 minutes. He prayed constantly, “Lord, please give me one more.”

Doss saw the grenade coming on 21 May, 1945. He waited hours for help before being carried through intense gunfire. When he spotted another wounded soldier Doss selflessly rolled off the litter and gave up his place. As he lay waiting for help a second time, he was hit by a sniper. Doss managed to make himself a splint and then, with 17 pieces of shrapnel in his body and a fractured arm, he crawled around 275 metres under fire to the aid station. Doss lost his Bible during this ordeal — it had been his source of constant strength throughout the war. When the company heard about the missing Bible, they returned to the battlefield and searched until they found it.

Doss allowed God to use him to share his faith and demonstrate the power of grace. “Greater love has no man than this” that he would risk his life over and over again for soldiers who had once ridiculed and despised him.

Meet Desmond Doss: After the war
conscientious objector desmond doss received the US Army's highest honour

For his heroic actions on the battlefield, this conscientious objector received the US Army’s highest honour.

By Natalia Grobler.

 

Following the battle at Okinawa, Doss was promoted to Corporal. His commanding officer claimed that on 29 April, 1945, Doss had in fact saved 100 lives. But Doss, ever humble, clarified this estimating the number at 50.

On 12 October, 1945, President Harry Truman presented Corporal Desmond Doss with the nation’s highest award, a Congressional Medal of Honor. “I’m proud of you,” Truman said. “You really deserve this. I consider this a greater honor than being president.”

Doss was the first conscientious objector to ever receive the medal.  It was issued in acknowledgement of his “outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions…” At the ceremony Doss publicly thanked God for giving him the opportunity to save the lives of the men he had served.

Doss was awarded many other medals, including two bronze stars for valor.  Parades were held in his honour, highways in the United States were named after him, a guesthouse at a Medical Centre in Washington D.C. bears his name, as does a Christian Academy in Virginia. A monument of him stands in the Tennessee Veterans Memorial Park. In 2004, a documentary was made about him entitled The Conscientious Objector. And, more recently, Mel Gibson, acclaimed film director, has produced the film Hacksaw Ridge based on his story.

Doss was a corporal who never killed another human being, whose only weapon was his Bible and his faith in God. He was a man whose courage saved many lives and whose contribution to the war was immeasurable. While he was the recipient of many accolades — the accolades themselves were never important. What was important was remaining true to his deep inner convictions — convictions God had placed on him as a young boy growing up.

 

Image courtesy of Desmond Doss Council.

The ‘coward’ who proved himself a hero
Why would a man risk his life to rescue those who had persecuted him so violently

Why would a man risk his life to rescue those who had persecuted him so violently?

By Linden Chuang.

 

Before he became a conscientious objector, Desmond Doss was given a different title: “coward.” It was a name his war buddies — or rather bullies at the time — bestowed on him for his refusal to bear arms in combat.

To be labelled a coward is perhaps the most degrading accusation in military circles. It’s a charge that says you’re not only too weak to stand up and fight, but to stand by your fellow man.

Yet when the soldiers moved from the training field to the battlefield of Hacksaw Ridge in 1945, it was Doss “the coward” saving the very men who belittled and beat him.

How he managed to carry those 75 wounded soldiers to safety is hard to fathom. The why is even harder to understand. Why would a man risk his life to rescue those who had persecuted him so violently?

Alexander Pope said “to err is human.” It’s a phrase that has been commonly used to describe our susceptibility as humans to make mistakes. Doss understood this, but he also recognised the second part of the quote: “to forgive, divine.”

Doss was a man of God. His ability to forgive was not self-administered; it was faith-inspired. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13; see also Luke 6:27, Ephesians 4:32).

Christian author C. S. Lewis once wrote that “to be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” Doss knew this. He understood that grudges are shackles, but forgiveness is freedom. Only with a clean heart — one free of hate and harboured resentment — can one truly stand by their fellow man.

Heroism or foolishness: What is selfless courage?
Was Desmond Doss heroic or foolish when he showed selfless courage

He never carried a weapon, but Desmond Doss didn’t enter the war unarmed.

By Linden Chuang.

 

Here’s something to consider: what if Desmond Doss had only rescued seven men instead of 75 on that night at Hacksaw Ridge? What if he had been killed on the first day of battle without a single saved soul to show for it? Would we have called him courageous or a fool?

We often associate courage with acts of heroism, but courage is really about the state of the heart.

Dr Brené Brown says, “courage is a heart word.” After all, the root word for “courage” is cor, the Latin word for heart. Doss’s bravery, then, is not so much about what he accomplished at Hacksaw Ridge, but his willingness to climb up there in the first place.

So why did he do it? Why did he run into the battlefield when everyone else was retreating?

Two reasons: faith and love.

Doss wasn’t ignorant. He was a medic, not a Marvel superhero, and he knew his limitations. But he also had faith in a very big God who promised to strengthen him, help him and never leave him (see Isaiah 41:10, Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:9).

Paulo Coelho once wrote that “an act of courage is always an act of love.” The two are inseparable. The Bible, Doss’s self-described “source of strength,” builds on this idea, saying to “stand firm in the faith, be courageous” and “do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV).

Faith, courage and love.

Heart.

Doss was no fool. He never carried a weapon, but he didn’t enter the war unarmed.

“My strength has the strength of ten because my heart is pure.”—Alfred Lord Tennyson

A long history of difficult decisions
Desmond Doss’s “conscientious co-operator” stance avoided the safety of both detached purity and comradely conformity

Doss chose a morally difficult and physically dangerous middle path, voluntarily entering the mess and muck of war, offering help to both friend and enemy.

By Kent Kingston.

 

When the posse of street thugs and temple lackeys discovered Jesus and His disciples at their secret olive orchard campsite, Peter lunged forward with a sword to defend his rabbi. But his clumsy slash failed to deal a fatal blow — he succeeded only in slicing off a man’s ear.

Jesus cut through the blood, shock and screaming to speak words that have echoed through the centuries: “Put away your sword,” He said to Peter. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.”

You can read all about that in Matthew 26.

 

History balances peace and violence

Throughout history, Christians have generally seen these words as particular to the situation and have, at best, justified violence as a last resort in maintaining social order and defending against invaders. At worst, Jesus’ name has been brandished by perpetrators of tortures, massacres, pogroms and brutal wars.

But there have always been, it seems, Christ-followers for whom Jesus’ words suggest a new way of living, and dying. As they watch, through the pages of Scripture, Jesus’ refusal to defend Himself, to fight back, even as Roman spikes are hammered through His hands and feet, they catch a glimpse of another world where violence is overcome by love — “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

Coliseum crowds wondered at the steadfast faith of the Christians who died in the arena — in prayer and apparently at peace as the lions approached. The legend is told of Magnus Erlendsson who, in the 1100s, refused to participate in a Viking raid on Wales, preferring instead to remain on the boat reciting psalms.

Over the centuries, a distinctly pacifist Christian movement emerged, led by what are today called the historic peace churches — Mennonites, Quakers and others. Governments struggled to deal with otherwise law-abiding citizens who refused to wield a weapon or participate in making war. Some conscientious objectors were executed, imprisoned or punished in other ways — their commitment viewed as unpatriotic, even treasonous. But, particularly in countries with a Protestant heritage and a commitment to individual conscience, governments began to make allowances for conscientious objectors, often permitting them to assist with important civilian projects.

 

A modern example

Enter Private Desmond Doss, a US soldier serving in World War Two. He posed somewhat of a quandary: yes, he wanted to support his country’s war effort against the Imperial Japanese invasion of the Pacific — he didn’t need to be drafted. He volunteered. But this patriotic American refused to use a weapon and requested a non-combat role. Doss rejected the label of “conscientious objector.” He preferred “conscientious co-operator.” Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge retells the difficulty he had in convincing his superiors and comrades of this point of view.

It’s easy to quibble with Desmond Doss’s logic: if he opposed war on principle — the usual conscientious objector’s position — why did he join up? Or if he truly supported America’s war effort, why not shoulder a weapon along with his share of the responsibility for what war entails? The grim task of killing people.

But Desmond Doss’s “conscientious co-operator” stance avoided the safety of both detached purity and comradely conformity. Instead he chose a morally difficult and physically dangerous middle path, voluntarily entering the mess and muck of war, offering help to both friend and enemy. A theologian might call this an “incarnational” approach; an echo of the decision of the eternal God to descend into the dirt, danger and debauchery of human reality, not as an avenging angel but as a defenceless baby in a manger.

Terry Benedict, who directed The Conscientious Objector, a documentary on Doss’s wartime experiences, recalls his surprise when the elderly veteran wouldn’t enter into discussion about the logic or theology behind his position. “Terry, God convicted me not to kill or carry a weapon. I’m not passing judgement on anybody else as to how God convicted them, but it’s just how God convicted me.”

It’s hard to argue with a statement like that. Or a life like that.

A devotional delay
The battle at hacksaw ridge was delayed so Desmond Doss could finish his Bible study and prayer time

It’s not everyday you hear about a battle being delayed so one man can finish his Bible study and prayer time — particularly when it’s a battle that’s critical to the success of the war your country is fighting.

By Adele Nash.

 

But that’s exactly what happened on 5 May, 1945 on the island of Okinawa. That day was a Saturday, which is the day that people of Private Desmond Doss’s faith — Seventh-day Adventists — set aside as their Sabbath.

The Maeda Escarpment — also known as Hacksaw Ridge — had to be taken, no matter what the cost. The B Company, which was the unit that Doss served with, had come to trust Doss implicitly, having seen how he would go above and beyond to serve his fellow man. Perhaps this is why his request to finish his Bible devotional study before assisting with the assault was granted. B Company’s Captain Vernon personally asked Doss to accompany the group, telling him, “The men would like to have you with them and so would I.”

The Unlikeliest Hero tells the story like this: “I’ll go, captain,” Doss said without hesitation. His Saviour had treated men on the Sabbath, and he could do no less. “But I’d like to finish my Sabbath school lesson first.”*

Doss didn’t know that, by asking to finish his Bible study time, he would hold up a war. But Captain Vernon knew that submitting the request would delay the assault on the ridge. He submitted it anyway. Amazingly, Colonel Hamilton allowed the delay, with the entire American advance in Okinawa waiting for Private Doss to finish his Bible study, which he closed with a quiet prayer.

The Americans went on to capture the ridge that day, and held it for good as the Sabbath closed.

So why is Bible study or devotional time so important?

Setting time aside to study the Bible gives us the benefit of quiet time with God every day. It means that we are also able to get direction for our lives from God — there are Bible verses that will inspire us or guide us, and it gives us an opportunity to ask God for His will to be known for our day. A lot of Christians also see daily devotional time as a strength-training exercise. How does that work? Well, it means we’re prepared for any challenges that lie ahead, knowing we can overcome anything with God’s help. Spending time studying the Bible has the biggest benefit of getting to know Jesus personally. When we meet with Jesus as we study the Bible, we learn more about His character, His endless love for each and every person, and how much he wants to have a life with us.

How do you set aside time to study the Bible? There’s no one way to do it — you can pick a time and place to do it that works for you. If you want to just sit down and read the Bible through, that’s fine. The New Testament is a great place to start. But there are also Bible studies available to help you with your devotional life too.

 

*Page 119, The Unlikeliest Hero by Booton Hernon (unabridged version).

Image courtesy of Desmond Doss Council.