Desmond Doss 's Military Career

War changes the lives of each and every soldier who participates. It continues to change the way they experience events and the way their perception of the simplest things. Many veterans do not realize what truly happened until much later in life, if at all. Many live in denial of the truth, consciously or subconsciously, and many continuously remember their darkest moments. This is the case in “Salem”, written by Robert Olen Butler. The short story is about a man, late in life, recalling a past event from the Vietnam War. He remembers a man, alone in a clearing, whose life he ended. He starts to understand his actions and their true outcomes. The author uses symbolism, setting, and character to enhance the idea that one should always be aware of how his/her actions affect others.

Chris Kyle is a 38 year-old, combat veteran, who served 10 years in the United States Navy. Chris is a Caucasian male, who presents with a moderate religious background. He ‘s currently married to his wife Taya, and has one son. Chris was born in Texas, in where he was raised by both of his parents along with his younger brother. His childhood can be described as a loving, nurturing environment with a secure attachment but also with a strict disciplinary component, in where early on Chris was taught the concept of being a Sheepdog, amongst sheep. This concept can be viewed as a precursor to the role he has adopted along his experience in the military. Chris’s highest level of education comes through a high school diploma, but is supplemented by the training and grooming he received as a special forces operator. Through this training, he was usually required to be in top physical shape and work with a good sense of executive functioning.

To be engaged in war is to be engaged in an armed conflict. Death is an all too ordinary product of war. It is an unsolicited reward for many soldiers that are fighting for their country’s own fictitious freedom. For some of these men, the battlefield is a glimpse into hell, and for others, it is a means to heaven. Many people worry about what happens during war and what will become of their loved ones while they’re fighting, but few realize what happens to those soldiers once they come home. The short stories "Soldier's Home” by Ernest Hemingway and "Speaking of Courage” by Tim O'Brien explore the thematic after effects of war and how it impacts a young person's life. Young people who

The rambunctious behavior of the soldier’s triumphant victory is a strong message visually for the viewer. These soldiers struggle to find their identity and once the war ends, the identity they’ve build at war vanishes, (McCutcheon, 2007). As a result, they essentially lose a part of them selves, (McCutcheon, 2007). When they return home, many soldiers struggle with psychological issues that prevent them from resuming their once regular lives, (McCutcheon, 2007). The images of soldiers celebrating at the end of war give the viewer a taste of this problem. This also allows the viewer insight to the deeper issues surrounding an American soldier’s mental stability and mentality. Through this image, along with many others throughout the film, the viewer is able to dig deeper and truly analyze what they are seeing.

Throughout the story of this one deployment, there are parts where the author talks about his early life as well as some parts of his earlier days in the Army. The author puts these Stories in to the book in an intriguing way to help explain why and how the author ended up where he did.

This World War II epic follows Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a Seventh Day Adventist and conscientious objector to the war. Despite his objection to killing, something he is so opposed to that he refuses to even carry a weapon, Doss feels it’s his duty to help the war effort. He signs up to be a medic, faces bullying in boot camp for his beliefs and eventually saves approximately

After a few years of going to church with his family fervently on Sundays, fourteen year old Sam lost his father, which later on would describe as “Only one for passion, a military life” .

Following orders, digging a foxhole, carrying a twenty-three pound M-60 assault weapon, or chasing Charlie does not erase the virtues previously programmed. Typically related to ethics and the distinction between right and wrong, morality exists throughout The Things They Carried in many forms. In the book, even the most deranged characters manage to be kind to one another. When dealing with death, characters experiment with ways to respect and remember the dead. In foreign Vietnam, the soldiers deal with cultural differences and work to find a middle ground. In the book, Tim O’Brien illustrates how morality manages to survive amidst the gore of the Vietnam War.

Beginning my love of reading an early age, I was never the type of child who was drawn to fictional stories. As an 8 year-old child in West Virginia, I was recognized by the local library for my love of biographies, autobiographies and recollections of world events. This love has continued throughout my adult life, desiring to read novels such as “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore rather than watch the major motion picture “We Were Soldiers” starring Mel Gibson. Even though the motion picture received multiple awards, when reading the recollection of Mr. Moore’s accounts, the feeling of loss, distress, anxiety and fear can be felt in each word that he has written while reliving this horrendous war.

The short story that will be discussed, evaluated, and analyzed in this paper is a very emotionally and morally challenging short story to read. Michael Meyer, author of the college text The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, states that the author of How to Tell a True War Story, Tim O’Brien, “was drafted into the Vietnam War and received a Purple Heart” (472). His experiences from the Vietnam War have stayed with him, and he writes about them in this short story. The purpose of this literary analysis is to critically analyze this short story by explaining O’Brien’s writing techniques, by discussing his intended message and how it is displayed, by providing my own reaction,

During the first attempt at Hacksaw Ridge, Desmond was acting normally, saving the freshly wounded and remembering the freshly killed. He gave plasma and blood and might have even given morphine to Japanese soldiers (In the movie adaptation of Desmond Doss’ story, he gave some wounded Japanese soldiers Morphine, saying that it was “good”). During and after the retreat, Desmond still helped and save his fellow soldiers. As Hacksaw Ridge is about a 350-foot fall, according to the Wisconsin Public Radio, he would have to lower his friends and those who thought he would die in minutes.Even though the Japanese would never surrender, the Americans would not, either. During the second and more successful attempt at Hacksaw Ridge, Desmond Doss saved even more, which gave him one of 431 WWII Medals of Honor.In accordance with the Seventh-Day Adventists Church’s article about Desmond Doss, during the second raid on Hacksaw Ridge, one of the people, Desmond Doss’ commanding officer, Jack Glover, was shot and injured. Desmond saw him lying on the ground, bleeding to death. Even though earlier when Jack Glover tried to get him off the squad, Desmond did not hold a grudge against him, and saved him along with many others. In the movie adaptation of this battle, the soldiers, after realising what Desmond Doss did, they showed him more respect for what he did on his Sabbath. After the entire squadron waited until Desmond Doss finished praying for their safety. He finished and they pushed the Japanese into a position of surrendering; However, one the officers pulled a grenade on most of the American soldiers. Desmond, being a savior more than a killer, blocked the grenade, and took most of the grenade, nearly killing him. Desmond soon recovered, and even though he had a bad leg, he would not stop saving

Following his rape, he starts to do what he feels is right, and in one case, goes directly against direct orders to stand for what he believes in, as well as to reconcile everything he’s been through as a soldier; the violence, the pain, and everything that has emotionally and physically scarred him.

Undeniably, the book Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge by Booton Herndon is an interesting yet enlightening read which follows Desmond Doss' heroic actions during World War 2. This book is a biography of Desmond Doss who always wished to become a medic, but never received much education as a child. When Doss was one step closer to his dream, he was outcasted and tolerated torture from other soldiers who refused to accept that he is a conscientious objector. The setting of this book first takes place in Virginia, where Doss was born, but the majority of the book takes place at a steep, jagged cliff called the Hacksaw Ridge.

Desmond Doss was born in February 1919. He was the middle child. Audrey, his sister, was four years older and Harold Edwards, his brother, was two years younger. He grew up up in his family home in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was raised as a Seventh-day Adventist, a denomination of Christianity that believes everyone should follow the ten commandments and that the seventh day of the week is the sabbath and it should be kept holy. Desmond kept the sixth commandment to heart, “Thou shalt not kill”. Desmond wanted to serve his country but he vowed that he would never take up arms. Congress wrote into the military draft that conscientious objectors would be assigned to the medical department.

When people think of the military, they often think about the time they spend over in another country, hoping they make it back alive. No one has ever considered the possibility that they may have died inside. Soldiers are reborn through war, often seeing through the eyes of someone else. In “Soldier’s home” by Ernest Hemingway, the author illustrates how a person who has been through war can change dramatically if enough time has passed. This story tells of a man named Harold (nick name: Krebs) who joined the marines and has finally come back after two years. Krebs is a lost man who feels it’s too complicated to adjust to the normal way of living and is pressured by his parents.