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3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2016 Son reflects on dad’s story depicted in ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ By HAYAT NORIMINE The Daily News TACOMA, Wash. — Mel Gibson’s new film “Hack- saw Ridge” tells the story of a World War II soldier, Des- mond Doss, who won the Con- gressional Medal of Honor for single-handedly rescuing 75 wounded soldiers. On an escarpment known as “Hacksaw Ridge” on Oki- nawa, Doss refused to find cover, plunged into the line of fire to find his injured com- rades, and one by one lowered them down a cliff with rope to friendly hands. He may have even helped a few wounded Japanese soldiers, reported The Daily News. “One more,” Andrew Gar- field — who plays Desmond Doss — repeats to himself as he lowers another wounded soldier to safety, his hands soaked with blood. “Lord, please help me get one more.” But this is no ordinary war hero. A devout Seventh Day Adventist, Doss refused to touch a gun. He was the first conscientious objector to receive the Congressional award. And his son Desmond Doss Jr., of Ilwaco, says the movie is ultimately not about war or patriotism. It is about love. About a man who gave it unconditionally. ‘Love story’ “This movie is really a love story,” Doss Jr. said. “That’s what we need in this world is more caring for each other. And here’s an example of somebody that was a vehicle for some incredible love.” Desmond Doss Jr. said it was a “perfect” portrayal of his father. It’s like he came alive on the screen, he said. Garfield, an Australian, per- fected Doss Sr.’s mannerisms, from his Southern dialect to his “quiet determination.” So it was emotional for both of them when Desmond Jr. met Garfield. “He asked me what I thought of what he did. I said, ‘You nailed it. It’s perfect.’ And he was moved by that,” Doss said. “He wanted to do that. He wanted to become my father.” Desmond Doss Sr. grew up in Virginia and was drafted in 1942. He became a private first class for the 1st Battal- lion, 307th Infantry in the 77th Division, but spent his first two years persecuted by the U.S. Military. His nuanced, quiet strength throughout those challenges were perfectly cap- tured on the big screen, Doss Jr. said. “I just couldn’t believe it,” Doss said. “I was just com- pletely taken by it. I thought I was watching my mother and my father.” Heroic act Doss said his father’s heroic act on Hacksaw Ridge was not a one-time incident. He had received the Bronze Star for his work as a combat medic on Guam and the Phil- ippines. But even before that, his son said, Doss was a man of unconditional love, day in and day out. Bill Wagner/The Daily News Ever since the portrayal of his father in the current movie Hacksaw Ridge, Ilwaco, Wash., resident Desmond Doss, jr. has been flooded with emails and letters regarding his father. The one he is holding is from a woman in North Dakota with excerpts of her father’s diary from the time he and Doss’ father fought together on Okinawa during World War II. He found his faith as a boy, inspired by a poster of the 10 Commandments on the wall of his home. The Sixth stuck out: “Thou shalt not kill.” Even before he entered the mili- tary, young Desmond’s faith was tested by his father, Wil- liam Doss, who was abusive toward his mother. That strug- gle is depicted in the film, too. Desmond Doss Sr. did not always receive considerate treatment in return. Because the solider refused to bear arms, an officer tried to have him discharged on grounds of mental illness. He also tried to court-martial Doss for refusing a direct order. “Sometimes I hear people saying he was patriotic. Well he was, but that’s not the point,” Doss said. “The point is he just had this love for people.” Doss Jr., who cleans the post office and volunteers as a firefighter, said he’s not reli- gious himself but has a spiri- tual life. “I can’t imagine life without it,” he said. “There’s a state- ment in the Bible that says God is love. ... I try to think in those terms — what’s loving, what’s caring, what’s compassionate.” For Desmond Doss Jr.’s first five years of childhood, he wasn’t allowed to see his dad. Desmond Doss returned home in 1946 with serious injuries in his arm and legs. He had con- tracted tuberculosis. Desmond Jr. was 5 years old by the time his father was no longer conta- gious and able to check out of the hospital. ‘Never over’ “The war is never over. It’s just never over,” he said. “It affects the people that were there ... but it goes way beyond that. It affects the families. It’s very disruptive to life.” Desmond Doss Sr. died in 2006 at his home in Ala- bama. Film directors had been after him for years to make a movie, but he only authorized Gibson to do a feature film. A book about his life is called “The Unlikliest Hero.” Doss Jr. said he didn’t have a “normal” life with his par- ents; much of it was surreal, like moments when he would find himself in a room with hundreds of Medal of Honor recipients. Even now, his father con- tinues to influence his life in unbelievable ways. Doss Jr. was quietly working at the post office in Ilwaco when calls began streaming in about his father. He’s met movie stars and Mel Gibson. And he just returned home a week ago after a trip to California to see the premiere and across the country. What his father did in World War II was a “natural outgrowth” of who he was, his son said. And now, more than ever in a world of divi- sion, Desmond Doss Jr. said he hopes people get the right message out of the movie. “That’s who he was. ... Some people know who they are. I sincerely hope that people walk away with that insight and connection with their own self. Who am I? What’s intrinsic to me?” he said. “Am I fearless or am I fearful?” Rescues in Washington’s Bainbridge woods just got easier By TRISTAN BAURICK Kitsap Sun BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. — The Bainbridge park district is trying a high-tech solution to the age-old problem of finding injured hikers. The district is installing rescue locators in its forested parks and across its grow- ing network of interconnected trails. If a hiker twists an ankle or a mountain biker crashes, a 911 caller can tell the dispatcher the number on the nearest loca- tor. Each locator is coded with GPS coordinates that emer- gency responders can use to zero in on the injured person, reported the Kitsap Sun (http:// bit.ly/2fxwhxP). “Now emergency person- nel know exactly how to get to them, cutting down their response time to a minimum,” said Dan Hamlin, park services director. The first 30 locators were installed in Grand Forest Park, a 240-acre swath of woods with 6 miles of trails and sev- eral trailheads. People regu- larly get lost in the park, spur- ring the district in 2014 to try another techie fix: trail markers that activate smartphone maps. Borne of tragedy Tristan Baurick/Kitsap Sun A rescue trail locater in the Grand Forest on Bainbridge Island, Wash. The Bainbridge park district has installed about 30 rescue locaters in the 240-acre Grand Forest Park to help emergency responders find injured trail us- ers. Two years ago, a group of friends were hiking Grand For- est when a man in their party suddenly keeled over. A frantic 911 caller was clear about the emergency: heart attack. But the other crit- ical detail — location — was unknown. “It was very confusing because they didn’t know where they started and they didn’t know where they were,” said Luke Carpenter, the Bain- bridge Island Fire Depart- ment’s assistant chief. “We had all these units running around trying to find this individual.” It was fortunate for the hiker that a CPR-trained park employee happened to be working nearby. He kept the hiker breathing until an ambu- lance crew eventually located them. Four months later, Bain- bridge middle school moun- tain bike coach Jay Abbott suf- fered crippling injuries during a training ride in the park. He died four days later. “It was a tragic outcome,” Carpenter said. “I put the onus on the park district, and said: ‘Folks, you got any ideas to help us find people? Because I don’t.”’ Park staff did have some ideas, thanks to a training hosted by American Trails, a California-based trails advo- cacy group. “It was a webinar about trail signage, but there was some mention about these res- cue locators,” Hamlin said. “It seemed like just the thing we needed.” Sometimes a big fix comes easy and cheap. Recording coordinates for the 30 locater sites sim- ply required staff to take a few hikes with a GPS unit. Dozens of trail markers already were installed, so there was little added cost. “It was pretty inexpensive — just buying some decals,” Hamlin said. Total cost: $60. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Bringing CENCOM, the county’s 911 service, onboard was surprisingly uncompli- cated. CENCOM simply plugged the 30 sets of coor- dinates into its own locator system. “They were great,” Hamlin said. “They just loaded them right in. That was it.” Not widely used Beyond Bainbridge, the res- cue locator system is not yet widely used. One early adopter was the TRACKS trail group in northeast Arizona. The group’s volunteers installed hundreds of the GPS-coded markers across the 200-mile White Mountains Trail System in 2013. Volunteer Nick Lund said rescues used to take hours. Now they’re typically com- pleted in under 45 minutes. The Grand Forest system has been used at least once since it was activated during the spring. “It was a sprained ankle, I think,” Carpenter said. “It wasn’t a significant event for us because we found them so easily.” The district plans to expand the system to the 445-acre Gazzam Lake Preserve, which links Fort Ward and Blakely Harbor parks. “We have so many trails that are interconnected and go long distances,” Hamlin said. “Peo- ple might know where they left from, but they have no idea where they are when they call.” Carpenter said his depart- ment is grateful for the help. “When seconds count, we have to know where a patient is,” he said. “This has proven to help us do our job.” LISTINGS EVERYDAY i in Th The D Daily il A Astorian t i Customer ION D AY T A H ELP S AVE A PPRECI Tue, Nov 29 th Astoria’s The district’s rescue loca- tor program is the first of its kind in the county. It was borne out of a recent tragedy and a near-tragedy. M EALS ON W HEELS F UNDRAISING THRU N OV . 29 F ORT G EORGE B ENEFIT N IGHT TH Cash and checks can also be dropped off at Astoria Vintage Hardware and the Senior Center www.gofundme.com/save-astorias-meals-on-wheels 1 Buy Get Buy Holiday Book Sale All Food, All Day HALF PRICE! Th e Frank Family and Staff at Norma’s wish to Th ank YOU our loyal patrons! Special available only at The Daily Astorian Offi ce 949 Exchange Street | Astoria, OR 97103 or by calling 503-325-3211 Get E! FRE A Pictoral History of Astoria Rebuilding an Icon for $ 39.95 Fort Clatsop *while supplies last 1 BLOCK OFF BROADWAY • 1 BLOCK FROM BEACH 20 N. COLUMBIA, SEASIDE • 503-738-4331 NormasSeaside.com
