Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes
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TRUE It feels like a fairly true-to-life portrayal of war, albeit a little heavy on the balletic trajectory of the dying soldiers.
TRUE Doss did speak with quite a broad accent & he certainly was obsessed with the bible. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE Doss was repeatedly injured in battle. On this one occasion, he had 17 pieces of shrapnel in his "legs & buttocks" & a smashed arm. (Plus he got TB in Leyte & later lost a lung.) The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH Doss was brought up in Lynchburg, Virginia, but the film was actully shot in Australia. Architectural Digest
TRUE Doss & his brother did spend a lot of time in the outdoors, gadding about. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
Not documented but not unreasonable. There's no evidence that this scene ever took place but it's certainly possible. Doss's father was an alcoholic & may have had a reputation for being a little crazy.
Undocumented but not impossible. No one could possibly know if this scene ever took place. It's not impossible.
Cheesy & unconfirmable but possible. It's possible that this took place although much more likely that this is dramatic licence of the rather overblown variety.
TRUE-ISH Hal confirms in interviews that they certainly fought a lot. The picture of family life completely erases Audrey Doss, however, who was two years older than Desmond. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE Hal says that they stopped fighting after one occasion when Doss landed on his head, but it had nothing to do with Doss swearing off violence. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE The fight never took place. It was actually a fight between his father & his uncle that made Doss swear never to touch a gun again. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE-ISH Although the religious picture existed & was said to have had a big influence on Doss, this scene did not take place, because Doss never knocked his brother out with a brick. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE-ISH Although Doss's mother tutored Doss in the ways of religious righteousness, she did not have this conversation with him in the context of Doss hitting his brother with a brick, because it never happened. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
This is undocumented. We know that Doss's father was often drunk & despondent, but the extent of his drunken behaviour is undocumented. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
Might have happened, but nobody knows for sure. Doss never spoke of this incident & it's not the kind of thing he would talk about but something similar may well have happened.
TRUE Doss & his mum loved church, & fifteen years had definitely elapsed. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE Both Doss & his mother were heavily involved with church activites so this scene, or something similar, is pretty likely to have taken place. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE This incident never occurred. In the film it's just a way of setting up Doss's meeting with his future wife & his burgeoning interest in medicine. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE This scene is a total fabrication. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE There was no bleeding man to take to hospital. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE None of this happened. It's all totally made up. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE This scene is a horribly contrived amalgamation of falsehoods. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Doss & Dorothy actually met in church & she didn't train as a nurse until years later, long after the war. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE They met in church when she was selling books. They did not meet in hospital. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE-ISH To be totally fair, Doss did walk a long way on more than one occasion to give blood when it was required, but he didn't give it to Dorothy because Dorothy wasn't a nurse. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE Even if this scene had taken place (which it never did), Doss seeing Dorothy's name on the book reeks of cinematic contrivance. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE Doss told the Veterans' History Project: "Always from my childhood on I wished I could be a doctor, a minister or a missionary." He was also a big fan of nature. The Veterans' History Project
Not possible to confirm this. Although the timing is all wrong & the main conversation is very reminiscent of a scene in The Graduate, it's possible that this conversation took place. We will, however, never know for sure.
May have happened. Impossible to know. Although this is almost certainly a scriptwriter's contrivance & there is no record of the feather incident, strictly speaking it remains unknown.
There is no record of this. Again, it feels like a totally fake scene (and Dorothy did not work at a hospital), but in truth, we have no way of knowing.
FALSE Doss must have asked Dorothy out at some stage but it never happened in hospital because Dorothy was not yet a nurse. History vs. Hollywood
TRUE-ISH To give the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt, Doss & Dorothy almost certainly went to the cinema where they will have seen government war propaganda. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Doss kissed Dorothy for the first time on a double-date with another Seventh Day Adventist couple in Washington. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Hal didn't join up until a couple of years later, in the winter of 1943. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
Probably not but we can't say for sure. If it happened, it's highly unlikely anyone would know about it, but equally, we can't say for sure that it didn't happen. (Although it definitely didn't happen in hospital.)
Maybe. Maybe not. Unconfirmed. Unconfirmable. This is just a scene imagined by the scriptwriters, but it may have happened. You never know.
TRUE-ISH Just a little filler scene to show Doss moving into his life as a medic. May have happened. Quite probable that it did. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE-ISH As we've established, Dorothy was not yet a nurse, so this scene never happened. However, they did become engaged at some point & it seems reasonable that Dorothy would have been upset at the idea of Doss going to war. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE There is no record of this conversation happening & the names of Tom Doss's dead friends are untraceable. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
Again, there is no record of this. This conversation is unconfirmed.
TRUE-ISH Dorothy almost certainly saw Doss off to basic training, & she did give him a bible, but later, when they got married. The Veterans' History Project
TRUE Doss did head for Fort Jackson & it seems only reasonable that he would have had a photograph of Dorothy. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE Doss did definitely stay in a barracks at Fort Jackson. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Although the barracks were true, the naked man is almost certainly an invention. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE-ISH Although it's true that Doss did meet the other men in his unit, they have been renamed in the film, & Smitty is a composite character, an amalgamation of those that picked on Doss. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE Although it is possible that Doss was taunted with pornography, there is no record of this & we can't just keep giving the film the benefit of the doubt, so this is marked as false. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE-ISH The original script contains far fewer downright falsehoods, this scene being one of them. Rather, this is just *that scene* that every army film must have. Something similar may have happened, but it isn't based on actual events. Original Hacksaw Ridge script
FALSE Even if Smitty had existed, it is highly unlikely that this scene would ever have taken place. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
No record of this exchange. It's not impossible that something of this nature took place but it is not recorded anywhere.
TRUE-ISH The naked soldier is an invention, probably inspired by Catch 22. The men, however, will certainly have been ordered outside. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE-ISH Doss first discovered how to make a two-looped knot by accident whilst training in West Virginia. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE-ISH Doss & others from his unit talk about how much Doss was persecuted by many of the other men. Just not by Smitty, who didn't exist. The Veterans' History Project The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE Doss was deliberately assigned to a rifle company in the hopes that he'd quit, but he didn't & did indeed refuse to touch a gun. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE It's true that Doss described himself as a Conscientious Cooperator & that he refused to work on the Sabbath. The Veterans' History Project The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH Doss was not threatened with a Section 8 until his unit was training in the Arizona desert, but it did happen. The Veterans' History Project The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH Although this scene is not specifically recounted, there is enough anecdotal evidence of widespread ridicule for it to be possible. Especially at the hands of officers & top brass. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH Doss was repeatedly mocked & abused throughout training so scenes of this nature are likely to have taken place. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH Scenes of a similar nature did take place & Doss never did retaliate. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH Doss was called before a psychiatric board in Arizona, not at Fort Jackson. There will have been a discussion about Doss's religion. The Veterans' History Project
TRUE-ISH It was officially decreed that Doss could not be declared unfit to serve on account of his religion. Just the personnel involved & the location were different. Glover did want rid of him, however. The Veterans' History Project The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE Doss was given all the worst duties in the hope that he would give up & go home. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE Doss spent a lot of time cleaning toilets, especially after he returned from praying during the Sabbath. He was punished for his religion. The Veterans' History Project The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH In interviews, Doss has said that "no one could have a pass" because of Doss's own insistence on not working on the Sabbath, so there is certainly an element of truth in this. The Veterans' History Project
FALSE There is much anecdotal evidence of the abuse & ridicule Doss received, but as far as actual beating is concerned, nobody has spoken out. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
There are no accounts of this. Nobody from Doss's regiment has spoken of this, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.
FALSE Doss never spoke of being beaten & although the dialogue in this scene is not very good, no one can say for sure that the scene never took place. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE In reality, it was a Colonel Cunningham who ordered Doss to pick up a rifle & then threatened him with a court martial & it happened when they were stationed in Pennsylvania. True enough. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE Doss was actually denied a pass to see his brother who was about to enlist in the navy. That pass was eventually granted, however. The Veterans' History Project The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE Doss was never imprisoned. According to one account, he spent a single night in the stockade in Lousiana, but not at this point, & not under these circumstances. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Glover might well have visited Doss in prison if Doss had ever been in prison. But he wasn't. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Dorothy might well have visited Doss in prison if Doss had ever been in prison. But he wasn't. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Although Dorothy may have spoken on the phone to Doss's parents at some point, it was never after visiting Doss in prison. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE This scene is doubly false, as not only was Doss not in prison, but also, the scene he remembers did not occur. In actual fact, his father had been fighting with Doss's uncle & the fight was broken up by Bertha, Doss's mother. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE-ISH Doss's father did have a hand in Doss not having to face a court martial. What he actually did, however, was to call the War Service Commission. The Veterans' History Project The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE As a result of Doss's father's phone call to the War Service Commission, Doss did not have to attend a court martial. The Veterans' History Project
FALSE The court martial did not take place. The Veterans' History Project
FALSE This entire scene is a case of dramatic licence. A letter was sent to Doss's father from the War Service Commission, but there was no court martial. The Veterans' History Project
FALSE-ISH There is some anecdotal evidence that some men from Lynchburg killed themselves because they could not serve, but it was not related at the court martial. (Which never happened.) The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE Doss was indeed offered a deferment by his employers, the Newport News naval shipyard, but he refused. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE Tom was not at the court martial. Nobody was. It didn't happen. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE If there had been a court martial, it is highly unlikely that Doss would have been saved while the gavel was in the air. But there was never a court martial. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE-ISH Although Doss's rights to serve & not to bear arms were protected by an act of congress, this was never declared in this context. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE As the court martial never took place, Doss & Dorothy did not embrace afterwards. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE In the second week of March 1944, married men of the 77th Division were granted an evening with their wives at Camp Pickett. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE-ISH They did arrive in Okinawa eventually, after first fighting in Guam & then in Leyte. The implication that they went straight from basic training to Okinawa is quite wrong. Also, it was March 23, not May. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE They were definitely passed by trucks full of dead & wounded soldiers. The written accounts suggest the bodies were piled much higher than they are in the film. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE-ISH They stopped short of the front line in "a desolate, fought-over area with shot-up tanks & destroyed shacks". Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
Not known but frankly, unlikely. There is no mention of this in the accounts of the battles, so it's unlikely, but cannot be confirmed one way or the other.
FALSE Irv Schecter was actually Herb Schechter, & he'd already been killed in Leyte, long before they ever got to Okinawa. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE-ISH It is true that the Japanese targeted medics & that the medics removed their red crosses as a result. But it is not true that Schecter was still alive. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE The slowly & laboriously climbed the cliff face with no naval bombardment. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE-ISH Having retreated under bombardment, Doss & two other men set up the cargo nets themselves on the second day. It seems the film was already too lost in its own tangled web of garbled chronology & alternative facts to include this. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE The first assault on the ridge was not hampered by lack of visibility. The smoke from the mortar bombardment was not there because the bombardment didn't happen. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE It probably didn't happen quite like this, but they did go up the mountain & there was a lot of intense fighting. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE This is something that could happen of course, but any stories that feature Smitty (who didn't exist) must be treated with suspicion. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE There is of course the possibility that something very close to this did occur, but because of the fact that Smitty didn't actually, we have to mark it false. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE A soldier with head & chest wounds & his legs blown off was left to die by Ralph Baker (not Herb Schechter), but Doss treated him anyway, believing, "As long as there's life, there's always hope." The man survived & lived to be 72. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE-ISH Ghoul aka Andy Walker does not appear to have existed, but a scene of this kind could very easily have happened. Ah go on. Benefit of the doubt. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE It's not known how many times Doss had to insist that this man be helped, but we know there was resistance, & he did insist, & the man did live. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH There are many tales of Doss running into dangerous areas to drag men back to safety. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE Although the soldiers in the film do not match the soldiers in real life, satchel charges were used to blow up pillbox bunkers. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE The battles in Okinawa did feature much close combat. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE The fact that there are no tales of anyone using a body to quench a grenade, added to the fact that Smitty didn't exist, equals a verdict of 'false' for this one. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE-ISH Although Ghoul didn't actually exist, Doss did save a lot of people, so it would be churlish to completely deny the truth of his valour in this scene just because Ghoul is a composite character. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH Doss did go out at night looking for wounded soldiers, even sometimes disobeying orders to do so. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH The survivors always discuss the dead.
FALSE Doss may have bonded with someone, but it wasn't Smitty. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Doss may have woken up from bad dreams, but not in front of Smitty. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Doss promised God he wouldn't touch a gun again after his father threatened his brother-in-law, not his mother as Doss claims. (Plus Smitty didn't exist.) The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE The Japanese tactic was to lure the US army inland & then send waves of men to kill them. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE There is no record of Howell sustaining injuries or being treated by Doss & there is no record of Hollywood existing. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Schechter was already dead before the battle at Okinawa. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE American soldiers were pushed back again & again over a number of days. The Japanese deliberately allowed them inland & then attacked, over & over. This was not portrayed particularly accurately in the film. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE Smitty is not real. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
It's possible. This may have happened at this juncture, although it isn't mentioned in accounts.
FALSE There is no Smitty. There never was a Smitty. Poor Smitty. RIP. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE Doss confirms that he was communing with God constantly, so this seems totally reasonable. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
Impossible to say. It's possible that this happened at some point.
TRUE It's this one night of effort for which Doss is mostly famous. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE Without enough rope to do it the normal way, Doss remembered his training in West Virginia & used the double-loop technique. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
He could have. It's not clear. There is no record of this, but it's not unlikely. It happened frequently. Artillery strikes were planned & then called off when things didn't go according to plan. It's not mentioned in any of the accounts of the battle though.
There is no record of this. Doss does not mention this in any of his interviews so it seems unlikely to have taken place, but strictly speaking, we cannot say for sure that it was totally made up.
Hmmmmmm.... This isn't very likely — especially as it was never subsequently mentioned — but you never know.
TRUE This will have happened frequently. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE-ISH Doss did spend one night in a cave, but he was with another soldier & probably didn't avoid quite so many Japanese soldiers quite so narrowly. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE Japanese soldiers were found with American dressings, so that was probably Doss's doing. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE Doss discusses this moment in the 2004 documentary, but it happened in Guam, & he was to discover the next day that the soldier had died. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE He mentions this in every interview, just as it appears in the film. "I was praying the whole time. Lord, please help me get one more." The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH Doss speaks of being threatened by American soldiers on one occasion for treating an injured enemy soldier, & Japanese soldiers were discovered with US bandages on them, so it's quite likely he lowered one or two. Also quite likely they wouldn't make it. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE If Doss had rescued Howell, it would have been mentioned in one of the memoirs. (Plus, Hollywood didn't exist.) The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
This may well have happened. A small thing that may very well have happened but has not been recorded.
FALSE Doss never rescued Howell & if he had, it would surely never have been quite so ridiculously gung-ho. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE Howell was not present when Doss first made his double-loop bowline. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE There is no record of Doss rescuing Howell, & Hollywood didn't exist. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE It is considered one of the remarkable facts of this particular battle that the Japanese didn't press the Americans at this point. But they didn't. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
FALSE-ISH He wasn't badly injured until a couple of weeks after this event. (And when it did happen, when Doss was stretchered off to hospital, apparently he crawled off the litter to tend to another wounded man, then was shot again & had to crawl to safety.) The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
FALSE-ISH Herb Schechter died in Guam. Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE-ISH This is another major conflation of stories. Grover did change his opinion about Doss. On this occasion, however, it was Captain Vernon who asked Doss to break the Sabbath for the men, as he was the only medic left. Also, this happened 4 days after last night's battle. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE Doss prayed for Company B on the second day in Okinawa & on that occasion, after he prayed, not one man died. (Why this wasn't in the film is anyone's guess.) On this occasion, the attack was delayed while Doss finished doing his own private devotions. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE Many soldiers did take their own lives rather than surrender. Japan's War: The Great Pacific Conflict (1986) by Edwin P. Hoyt
TRUE-ISH Something similar to this happened in Guam, after which they were told to ignore white flags. On another occasion on Okinawa, Doss picked up a live hand grenade & threw it. The two stories have been conflated rather dramatically. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE-ISH A couple of weeks later, on his way to the hospital ship, Mercy, Doss realised he'd lost his bible & some of his men went back & risked their lives to find it for him, which they eventually did. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE There were many reported cases of Japanese soliders committing ritual suicide rather than be taken prisoner. Japan's War: The Great Pacific Conflict (1986) by Edwin P. Hoyt
FALSE They didn't win this particular battle until much later, & his bible wasn't returned to him till much, much later, when he was back home after the war. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE Nobody really knew how many men Doss saved. He estimated 50, others estimated 100, so they settled on 75. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004) Redemption at Hacksaw Ridge (2016) by B. Herndon
TRUE Doss received the Medal of Honour in October, 1945, from President Harry Truman. Wikipedia: Desmond Doss
TRUE Mel kind of made it look like Doss & Dorothy married after the war, which they didn't, but we'll let him off with that. The Conscientious Objector: The Story of an American Hero (2004)
TRUE Real footage of a real interview with Doss talking about his achievements. Original footage
TRUE Real footage of Doss's brother Hal talking about his brother's religious convictions. Original footage
TRUE Real footage of Captain Jack Glover talking about how wrong he was about Doss. Original footage
TRUE Real footage of Doss being interviewed about the soldier with the blood in his eyes. Original footage
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Original Data Provided By: Omid Kashan, DM, David McCandless Karl Webster, Dr Stephanie Starling Subtitles Compiled By: BreadCodes