Desmond Thomas Doss (February 7, 1919 March 23, 2006) was a United States Army corporal and combat medic during World War II. He was the first of three conscientious objectors to receive the Medal of Honor while assigned to a rifle company of the 1st Battalion, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division, during the Battle of Okinawa.Enlisting voluntarily in April 1942, Doss refused to kill an enemy soldier or carry a weapon (pistol) into combat because of his personal beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist. He consequently became a medic, and while serving in the Pacific theatre of World War II, he saved the lives of numerous comrades, while at the same time adhering to his religious convictions