The Conscientious Objector Analysis

“As long as there is life, there is always hope.” This sentence was said by Desmond Doss in a documentary by Terry Benedict called The Conscientious Objector. As defined by the official site of the United States Government, a conscientious objector is “one who is opposed to serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the grounds of moral and religious principles.” Desmond doss was the first, and only, conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. His life was very difficult and many people were not supportive of his beliefs; however, Doss stood strong and defended his country in a way that surprised many, while maintaining his faith, and proved his dedication to the well-being of mankind and our country. Desmond Ross was always committed to his faith; he followed the ten commandments very sternly, especially the commandment “though shall not kill.” As a child, and throughout his life he was revolted by Cain’s action of killing his brother Abel

It showed that people can defend their country simply by saving lives instead of killing and that it is possible to maintain a belief, not let others undermine your faith, and be an exceptional, courageous human being even under extreme peer pressure, which is a problem in today’s society. The way Desmond was treated and the military’s response to him being a “conscientious objector” infuriated me; he proved through his actions that conscientious objectors are just as beneficial as any other soldier, maybe even more in Desmond Ross’s case. I think that the term conscientious objector is very demeaning and should not be the term that describes Desmond or other men like him; I believe, like Desmond stated himself, that they should be designated as conscientious cooperators, because just because they hold certain beliefs they are not objecting to serve their country. I have not seen the movie Hacksaw