Medal of Honor for his actions near Hatten, France in January 1945. Fought with extreme gallantry while guarding 2 command posts against the assault of infantry and armored forces which had overrun. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is an action-packed, immersive VR experience set in World War II, where you step into the boots of an agent of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in war-torn Europe.
When Medal Of Honor finally arrived on my desk, it was one of the happiest moments of my year so far. I was stunned when I first saw the game at E3 last May, and needless to say, when I played the single-player game I was suitably pleased that my expectations were justified. One thing I hadn’t expected, however, was the quality of the multiplayer game.
For a start, there are plenty of servers to choose from either via the game’s in-built server browser or through GameSpy Arcade. Lag is minimal even with a high ping rate, which makes for a fluid and exciting game. There are four game types to play: free-for-all, team match, round-based match and objective-based match. These are all types of game we have seen before. Free-for-all is a traditional, every-man-for-himself game and plays brilliantly on the smaller maps even if there is an overemphasis on sniping. Team match is, quite obviously, the same game but with two teams (Axis and Allies) and objective mode is similar to that of the bomb maps of Counter-Strike.
The round-based match is basically a team deathmatch game, but with each team having to reach a kill target before the opposition.
One thing that could have worked well is Capture The Flag, and it’s a shame that it’s missing since its inclusion would have made MOH complete. Even so, Medal Of Honor is, unlike most other shooters, every bit as good in multiplayer as it is playing by yourself. If you think of yourself as a gamer and you don’t already have a copy of Medal Of Honor then you’ve been giving yourself airs way above your station. This is a game that absolutely everyone should own.
- Rank and organization: Private First Class, United States Army, Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division.
- Place and date: Near Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, April 29, 1945 – May 21, 1945.
- Entered service at: Lynchburg, Virginia
- Birth: Lynchburg, Virginia
- G.O. No.: 97, October 1, 1945.
The Citation:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private First Class Desmond Thomas Doss, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty from April 29 - 21 May 1945, while serving with the Medical Detachment, 307th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division, in action at Urasoe Mura, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands.
Private First Class Doss was a company aid man when the 1st Battalion assaulted a jagged escarpment 400 feet high As our troops gained the summit, a heavy concentration of artillery, mortar and machinegun fire crashed into them, inflicting approximately 75 casualties and driving the others back. Private First Class Doss refused to seek cover and remained in the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying them one-by-one to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a rope-supported litter down the face of a cliff to friendly hands. On 2 May, he exposed himself to heavy rifle and mortar fire in rescuing a wounded man 200 yards forward of the lines on the same escarpment; and two days later he treated four men who had been cut down while assaulting a strongly defended cave, advancing through a shower of grenades to within eight yards of enemy forces in a cave's mouth, where he dressed his comrades' wounds before making four separate trips under fire to evacuate them to safety. On 5 May, he unhesitatingly braved enemy shelling and small arms fire to assist an artillery officer. He applied bandages, moved his patient to a spot that offered protection from small arms fire and, while artillery and mortar shells fell close by, painstakingly administered plasma. Later that day, when an American was severely wounded by fire from a cave, Private First Class Doss crawled to him where he had fallen 25 feet from the enemy position, rendered aid, and carried him 100 yards to safety while continually exposed to enemy fire. On 21 May, in a night attack on high ground near Shuri, he remained in exposed territory while the rest of his company took cover, fearlessly risking the chance that he would be mistaken for an infiltrating Japanese and giving aid to the injured until he was himself seriously wounded in the legs by the explosion of a grenade. Rather than call another aid man from cover, he cared for his own injuries and waited five hours before litter bearers reached him and started carrying him to cover. The trio was caught in an enemy tank attack and Private First Class Doss, seeing a more critically wounded man nearby, crawled off the litter; and directed the bearers to give their first attention to the other man. Awaiting the litter bearers' return, he was again struck, this time suffering a compound fracture of one arm. With magnificent fortitude he bound a rifle stock to his shattered arm as a splint and then crawled 300 yards over rough terrain to the aid station. Through his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of desperately dangerous conditions Private First Class Doss saved the lives of many soldiers. His name became a symbol throughout the 77th Infantry Division for outstanding gallantry far above and beyond the call of duty.
Medal Of Honor Recipients
General Orders: War Department, General Orders No. 97 (November 1, 1945)
Action Date: April 29 - May 21, 1945