Desmond Doss was a Seventh-day Adventist from Lynchburg, Virginia who enlisted in the Army but refused to carry a weapon or work on Saturdays due to his religious beliefs. He was harassed mercilessly by fellow soldiers and officers who tried to have him discharged, but Doss persisted, serving as a combat medic.
During the Battle of Okinawa in May 1945, Doss's unit was ordered to take the Maeda Escarpment—a 400-foot cliff the Americans called "Hacksaw Ridge." After his company scaled the cliff and was repelled by fierce Japanese fire, Doss remained alone atop the ridge. Working through the night and into the next day, he repeatedly lowered wounded men over the cliff edge using a rope and a litter, each time praying, "Lord, please let me get just one more."
He saved an estimated 75 men (Doss modestly estimated 50; the Army settled on 75). He later survived being wounded four times, once splinting his own shattered arm and crawling 300 yards to an aid station. He became the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor.