WHAT TO SEE: Heroism Under Fire

Hacksaw Ridge
Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey
Run time: 139 min
Rated PG-13
Available through Ignatius Press at www.ignatius.com

Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson, had its cinematic debut in 2016 and was released on DVD and Blu-Ray last year. Now available through Ignatius Press, it takes its place alongside other gritty-but-inspiring modern war films based on true stories in the tradition of We Were Soldiers and Saving Private Ryan.

Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), a devout young Seventh-Day Adventist from Lynchburg, VA, enters the U.S. Army in 1942 carrying a pocket Bible and intending to serve in the medical corps because of his religious objection to taking up arms. He suffers ridicule and abuse for his refusal to as much as touch a weapon and faces court-martial for disobeying orders to do so, but eventually he earns a measure of respect for standing firm on his beliefs. Two years later, during the horrific Battle of Okinawa in which his unit sustains heavy casualties at the hands of the Japanese and is forced to retreat, Doss demonstrates immense courage by rescuing dozens of wounded soldiers from the battlefield, lowering them by rope down an escarpment to safety.

This is one situation where the Hollywood version of a character’s heroic acts arguably falls short of capturing his true courage under fire. By the time his unit arrived in Okinawa, Doss had already been awarded the Bronze Star twice for meritorious service in rescuing wounded soldiers on the battlefields of Guam and the Philippines. His daring efforts over several weeks on Okinawa would earn him the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Hacksaw Ridge is a brutal film, with plenty of extended scenes of armed combat featuring graphic violence and gruesome injuries. War is hell, and no punches are pulled in affirming that. But what stands out is the extreme heroism of Desmond Doss, who risked his own life under the most perilous conditions to rescue 75 men from certain death on an Okinawa battlefield. His faith and model of selflessness should inspire us all.

GERALD KORSON is a Legatus magazine staff writer.