Who was the most badass single soldier in history?
Desmond Doss. The only non-combatant, conscientious objector (he refused to carry a weapon), to be awarded the Medal of Honor. For heroism in battle.
He was despised by his unit, his commanders, and the Army (legally winning a challenge to remain in the service).
Yet in one day, alone, with his unit decimated by the enemy, the injured dying on a battlefield controlled by the enemy, he rescued them. One by one. Not 10. Not 20. Not 50 of them. More…all of them. Single-handedly…no help whatsoever. All while every Japanese machine gun, mortar, sniper, grenade and soldier there had the privilege of only one target: Desmond.
And he got hit. Repeatedly. And he just kept going back, up that hill, retrieving “his men" one-by-one. The very men who hated him - who verbally and physically abused him for being a “coward” - owe their lives to him.
That was but just one of his heroic sacrifices. The result was immediate. His courage and dedication were undeniable. As was a belief that he had supernatural protection.
When command ordered his unit to take an enemy stronghold that had wiped out all other units assigned to the task (the order was considered suicide), they radioed in that they had to wait for Desmond Doss. Unacceptable. But, in defiance, his unit waited: For him to finish reading his Bible and to pray for them before they went.
Then, they captured the position without a single casualty. Command refused to believe they had achieved their objective, insisting they had taken the wrong hill. But they had taken the right one.
The man who rolled off a stretcher in order to CRAWL back onto the battlefield and rescue more men, is the man who deserves enduring historical recognition for demonstrating what true courage, perseverance, and love look like in battle.
ADDENDUM
I have left my “sloppy" account unedited (as is my custom), with the correction found in subsequent comment from another poster, intentionally. Two reasons: 1. To show mistakes happen, especially when writing hastily and from emotion (this man's actions deeply affect me to this day); and 2): To demonstrate that “sanitizing” or “changing" answers/responses is unnecessary to honest discourse…we all make mistakes, and the more we “own" them publicly, the better examples we are to others regarding personal responsibility and honesty. I.e. there is no shame in mistakes; only in trying to cover them up.
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