How could a conscientious objector — a person who refuses to carry a weapon or kill — be awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the United States military? Not only is it possible, but it has happened three times in the history of the honor, and the first, Desmond Doss, is in line for a biopic from Walden Media by director Aaron Schneider (Get Low) according to Deadline.
The Conscientious Objector will tell the story of Doss, who was drafted during World War II but refused to fight for religious reasons. He was subsequently assigned to a medical detachment, and despite not carrying a weapon he risked his life while stationed in the Pacific many times in order to give medical aid to his fellow troops, including carrying seventy-five men single-handily to safety at the Battle of Okinawa. His most bad ass moment? Later in the battle he was pinned down by enemy fire for five hours, and then suffered a broken arm after being shot. But he wouldn’t let that stop him — he fashioned a splint out of a rifle stock for his own arm (probably the closest he ever came to handling a weapon!). Let’s see you try that with your video game controller while playing Call of Duty or Medal of Honor!
Robert Schenkkan (TV’s The Pacific) wrote the screenplay based on the inspiring life story of Doss, who passed away in 2006. A documentary about Doss under the same name was released in 2004.
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