4 days Ago
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Monday to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic in Lynchburg after Army Pfc.
Desmond T. Doss, a Hill City native known for his heroics during World War II. U.
S. Rep. Bob Good, R-5th, introduced legislation in May 2023 to rename the clinic after Doss, who was the first conscientious objector to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor after saving 75 wounded infantrymen in the Battle of Okinawa atop an area known as Hacksaw Ridge.
On the Senate side, U.S. Sens.
Mark Warner, D-Va., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced legislation earlier this year to rename the clinic after Doss.
The legislation passed the Senate in August. After the House’s vote on Monday, the legislation headed to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Once signed by the president, the VA outpatient clinic, at 1600 Lakeside Drive, will be designated the “Private First Class Desmond T.
Doss VA Clinic.” In a speech on the House floor on Monday, Good said he was asked by some constituents, including Vietnam veteran Steve Bozeman, to introduce the bill. He also thanked the entire Virginia congressional delegation for supporting the legislation.
“It’s fitting for the building that provides health care services to our nation’s heroes to be named after one who dedicated his military career to saving as many lives as possible,” Good said. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts A devout Seventh-day Adventist, Doss believed that killing was wrong. “Nevertheless, he still chose to serve his country as a medic in the United States Army, when called upon in World War II,” Good said.
In 1945, after the war, Lynchburg threw a parade in Doss’ honor. “It’s been nearly 80 years since then, and Lynchburg wants another opportunity to celebrate one of our most heroic citizens,” the congressman said. In a joint statement, Warner and Kaine said renaming the Lynchburg VA Clinic after Doss is a fitting tribute to a man who demonstrated “unwavering commitment to his fellow soldiers and to his country.
” Doss could have tried to refuse enlistment on grounds of being a conscientious objector. Instead, he enlisted as a self-described “conscientious cooperator,” going on to pursue medical roles in the Army, the senators said. Doss died in 2006 but his legacy remains across the Hill City.
Lynchburg is home to the Desmond T. Doss Christian Academy and the PFC Desmond T. Doss Memorial Expressway, and there is a marker honoring him along the Monument Terrace steps in downtown Lynchburg.
Lynchburg has celebrated “Desmond T. Doss Day” on Oct. 12 since 2019, and Doss’ childhood home on Garfield Avenue has been converted into a shelter for homeless veterans.
His story was featured in the 2016 Academy Award-winning film “Hacksaw Ridge,” directed by Mel Gibson. The legislation to rename the local VA clinic after Doss was supported by several veterans organizations, including the Lynchburg Area Veterans Council Inc., Salem VA Medical Center, American Legion Post 16, Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 196, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 1607 and the Military Order of the World Wars, Piedmont Chapter.
Doss Courtesy of Desmond Doss Council.
