do medal of honor recipients get back pay

In 1944, Doss shipped out, bound for the Pacific as a member of the medical detachment of the 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division. Instead of a court martial, he denied Doss leave, nearly causing him to miss seeing his brother Harold, who had joined the US Navy. Another officer unsuccessfully attempted to have him court martialed for refusing to hold a rifle. Doss’ commanding officers eventually gave up, realizing that such a discharge would never be approved at higher levels. His commanding officers attempted to have him discharged for mental illness, but he refused to accept, stating he could not agree to a discharge due to his religion. Several attempts were made to remove the man they felt was a coward and a detriment to the unit.

Ostracized by his unit, and bullied by both enlisted men and his commanding officers, Doss held on to his faith and was an exemplary soldier. He was verbally harassed, with warnings such as, “Doss, when we get into combat, I’ll make sure you don’t come back alive.” Boots and other items were sent flying his way as he prayed at night. Although Doss was a willing participant and felt himself to have as great a sense of duty as any man in his unit, boot camp was not an easy time for him. He was allowed to forgo weapons training, and even received a pass to attend church on his Saturday Sabbath. In spite of his conscientious objector status, Doss was required to undergo the usual basic training. In fact, he believed the war was just and desired to do his part, but for him that meant saving lives, not taking them, and thus Doss was known to describe himself as a “conscientious cooperator.” When he was drafted in the spring of 1942, Doss did not refuse enlistment on the grounds of being a conscientious objector. Doss, however, felt a calling to serve his country and to help his fellow man. It would have been easy in 1942 for Doss to apply for a deferment, and many would have expected as much from someone who refused to bear arms against another. When the United States entered the war, Doss was working at the Newport News Naval Shipyard. He held particularly strong views against killing and working on the sabbath, which as a Seventh-day Adventist, he observed on Saturday. Doss of Lynchburg, Virginia, was one of those men, though he personally shunned the title of conscientious objector.ĭoss, born in 1919, was raised with a strong belief in the Bible and the Ten Commandments, attending a Seventh-day Adventist church.

Some refused to serve, but 25,000 joined the US armed forces in noncombat roles such as medics and chaplains. Top image: Lead Image: Desmond Doss courtesy of the US National Archives.ĭuring World War II, over 70,000 men were designated conscientious objectors, mostly men whose religious beliefs made them opposed to war.

Do medal of honor recipients get back pay