3/29/06
Desmond T. Doss died this year at the age of 87. A World War II hero, his actions served his country in the highest sense. On October 12, 1945, Doss received from President Harry Truman this country’s highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor. It was a fitting tribute to a man of extraordinary courage. But Doss also lived a life of faith with extraordinary completeness. The combination of these elements combined in one man to form a persuasive argument for religious tolerance. Was Doss first a hero or first a man of faith? The attributes frequently complement one another. At the very least, they are not mutually exclusive. However, it’s not unusual for someone to possess one quality and not the other. To own both in such large amounts is what made Doss unique. Heroes risk their lives to save the lives of others. Hollywood’s wartime propaganda films in the ‘40s portrayed its World War II heroes as brawny, square-jawed men. Doss was a slight man, but every pound of him was heavy with heroism. He proved that when he put the lives of at least 75 men ahead of his own in the spring of 1945. Doss was an Army medic, a PFC, when the 1st Battalion of the 77th Infantry division moved onto the island of Okinawa. Near the beginning of May, he was part of an assault on a 400-foot jagged escarpment called Maeda. As US troops gained the summit, they came under heavy fire from the Japanese. Their casualties mounted and the battalion was driven back. But Doss refused to leave behind the wounded men who were stranded at the summit. Without seeking cover, he stayed and one by one, lowered the wounded down the face of cliff, using a tree stump and a rope. Doss later said that as he eased each man over the side, he just kept praying that the Lord would let him rescue one more. The Army wanted to recognize his valor by crediting him with 100 lives. Doss demurred, saying it couldn’t have been more than 50. A compromise was reached: the official number would be 75. The Medal of Honor Citation includes several heroic incidents. It concludes with this one: On 21 May, in a night attack on high ground near Shuri, he remained in exposed territory while the rest of his company took cover, fearlessly risking the chance that he would be mistaken for an infiltrating Japanese and giving aid to the injured until he was himself seriously wounded in the legs by the explosion of a grenade. Rather than call another aid man from cover, he cared for his own injuries and waited 5 hours before litter bearers reached him and started carrying him to cover. The trio was caught in an enemy tank attack and Pfc. Doss, seeing a more critically wounded man nearby, crawled off the litter; and directed the bearers to give their first attention to the other man. Awaiting the littler bearers’ return, he was again struck, this time suffering a compound fracture of one arm. With magnificent fortitude he bound a rifle stock to his shattered arm as a splint and then crawled 300 yards over rough terrain to the aid station. Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions, Pfc. Doss saved the lives of many soldiers. His name became a symbol throughout the 77th Infantry Division for outstanding gallantry far above and beyond the call of duty. As a result of his wounds, Doss spent a total of nearly six years in the hospital. In addition to his battlefield injuries, he also had contracted tuberculosis, which eventually cost him a lung and five ribs. Doss began to lose his hearing and was totally deaf by 1976. (continued...) Click Next Page below for page two of The Unlikeliest Hero. |
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| 7/13/06 Tucson's Ground Breaking Bread Breaking
has finally frayed around the edges. There is not a cultural group today that doesn't believe their ‘freedom’ is being impinged upon in one manner or another.
man’s most basic freedom, liberation from slavery, in this case of the Jews from the Egyptians. This freedom to breathe as a sovereign individual, to create one’s own destiny, certainly is worthy of celebration and contemplation by those who have suffered. But can the concept of the Seder be made inclusive of non-Jews and still retain its validity? Tom Warne, a board member of Tucson, Arizona’s Jewish Community Relations Council believes it can. Recently he co-chaired an unusual event in which the Tucson community joined together to experience an observance of the Seder. And in the process, they got to do a little reinventing of the wheel, which was fine with Warne. He said that the human fabric becomes “stronger, healthier and more beautiful” with the inclusion of all races and religions, according to an article in the Arizona Jewish Post. And so the first Tucson Freedom Seder included Muslims, Jews and Christians breaking bread together. They were joined by a diverse list of community groups representing among others, African-Americans, Mexican Americans and the University of Arizona. In all, about 200 attendees took part in the evening. Much of the program was traditional. Portions of the Passover story were read. But things took a unique turn when the African spiritual ‘Go Down, Moses” was sung. A mariachi band later performed. Attendees say the event encouraged the building of trust. Participants were urged to sit at the tables with people whom they did not know. Tucson City Council member and co-chair Nina Trasoff then suggested that the table mates, “engage in conversations about what your barriers have been,” in regards to other races and cultures. Former Tucson Mayor, George Miller was one of the speakers. He is quoted in the Arizona Jewish Post as saying that when he came to Tucson in 1939, the city basically was “a southern town with legal segregation.” And at Tucson High School, “there were only a handful of Jewish students. There was very little mingling back then.” Minnie Andrews, who taught in Tucson for 30 years and now is an associate professor at Northern Arizona University, related her own story of being the first black cashier hired in Tucson. “The owners were Jewish,” she said. Even though the city was segregated, “They were brave enough to hire a person of color.” Obviously, Tucson has changed a lot over the years. What the Jewish community in Tucson has achieved with the Freedom Seder is a grass- roots catalyst for even more change. By integrating the community into one of their sacred practices they have placed everyone’s human needs on a par with their own. Their actions make a statement that many people have struggled under oppression and that all deserve to be free.
interest group focusing exclusively on their own agenda, the Freedom Seder is a refreshing change. Miracles rarely happen over night… or because of one event. But it’s awfully difficult to dislike someone with whom you’ve broken bread, or shared a moving experience. That's such a simple concept. But what a powerful one. We applaud the Freedom Seder. --Lisa Bowman |
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