This photograph shows President Harry Truman congratulating Private First Class Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to win the Medal of Honor. During the World War II invasion of Okinawa, Doss served with the 77th Infantry Division as a medic. He rendered medical aid to wounded comrades, often at great peril to himself, and continued to help others, even after suffering serious wounds.
Doss had entered the military, but refused to kill enemy soldiers or carry a weapon because of his religious beliefs as a Seventh-day Adventist. As a medic, he served in a non-combatant role.
