But as a Seventh-day Adventist, he had also vowed not to kill.

10 Sep 2018 | 3rd Marine Logistics Group. If you’ve seen the movie or are a history buff, both ridges are a must-see. According to Ginowan City, this wall used to belong to a local residence. The northern side of the area, which was host to the American frontal attack, was also home to a sheer cliff. GPS Coordinates: N 26.258678, E 127.736877, Hacksaw Ridge (Urasoe Castle Ruins)/Urasoe Youdore Museum Admission: Entry to Urasoe Castle Ruins is free; Entry to museum costs 100 yen (high school student and above) and 50 yen Some portions of Hacksaw Ridge are now covered with stone walls, which bring back the time when the location was known as “Urasoe Castle” and “Urasoe Youdore,” a mausoleum for King Eiso and King Shonei of the Ryukyu Kingdom (1429-1879). All in all, visitors can see all the points of interest in Kakazu in an hour, so make the most of your time by heading to Hacksaw Ridge, a must-see historical spot only 10-minutes away by car. Desmond Doss joined the Army as a combat medic because he believed in the cause of World War II. He interviewed several World War II veterans who were in Doss' battalion.

Majewski said he has dedicated the past 20 years of his life to telling people about the brave actions of the Americans who fought on Hacksaw Ridge. Majewski led the group atop Hacksaw Ridge and explained details of the battle. Craghead said it was a reality check to get the Hacksaw Ridge tour because it made him realize that it wasn’t too long ago that troops were making sacrifices in the very place he stood. Desmond Doss joined the Army as a combat medic because he believed in the cause of World War II. Check out our other Pacific community sites! Desmond Doss, a U.S. Army Medal of Honor recipient, who, as a private first class, single-handedly saved the lives of over 75 people on Hacksaw Ridge during the Battle of Okinawa. “Needle Rock,” located on the east end of the ridge, is a 42.7-foot monolith where the first stage of the battle at the ridge took place. "...The Japanese called it 'the rain of steel' because there was so much iron flying around. A visit to this site will not only show you points you might remember from the movie, but also other historically-significant spots not shown. "He was one of the bravest persons alive," Glover says in the documentary. (middle school student and below) "It was full of caves and holes and the Japanese were dug in underground," says Mel Gibson, who re-created the battle in Hacksaw Ridge. “It’s important to take the tours because this is our history, our background, this is why we’re here,” he said. Get your digital copy of this week’s Stripes Okinawa. Service members with Headquarters Company, Headquarters Regiment, 3rd Marine Logistics Group hiked through the hallowed battleground September 7, 2018. The Battle of Okinawa was the last battle of World War II. He said the tour reminded him that the troops who fought at Hacksaw Ridge were service members just like him. It's the only explanation I can give. The battle on Hacksaw Ridge took place on a 400-foot cliff and lasted 11 days. He died in 2006. The Army made Doss' life hell during training. Facebook: Stars and Stripes Pacific And it is also a place where Japanese media and amateur photographers go to snap off great photos of MCAS Futenma. Watch Hacksaw Ridge (2020) : WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.. Museum Hours: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Closed on Mondays and Dec. 28 – Jan. 3). During the Battle of Okinawa, the hilly area of the Urasoe Gusuku ruins was referred to as, "Hacksaw Ridge" by the Americans and, "The Maeda Escarpment" by the Japanese forces. Another reminder of war is an underground bunker halfway up a staircase leading from the bulleted wall. Continuous rain transformed the terrain into a sea of mud that clutched soldiers’ boots and stalled large vehicles, while Japanese mortar and artillery shells poured down in a violent fury that mangled bodies and twisted weapons. The battle at Hacksaw Ridge, on the island of Okinawa, was a close combat fight with heavy weaponry. Another point of interest is at the top of the stairs—an observatory which gives visitors a view as far as Yomitan, the U.S. He dragged severely injured men to the edge of the ridge, tied a rope around their bodies and lowered them down to other medics below. ", Veteran Carl Bentley, who was also at Hacksaw Ridge, says in the documentary, "It's as if God had his hand on [Doss'] shoulder.

Majewski said Doss was one of many soldiers whose work during the battle led to the success of the Americans. ", During the battle, Doss (seen here at the top of Hacksaw Ridge) dragged severely injured men to the edge of the ridge and lowered them down to other medics below. American forces launched an attack on this ridge a couple of days after the fall of Kakazu. Lance Cpl. The former Army medic doesn’t have much taste for war movies. Private First Class Eugene B. Sledge of the 1st Marine Division had been fighting in 1945 on the miserable island of Okinawa for six weeks. “It takes going there and seeing it, for most people, to imagine what we could potentially go through ourselves,” Craghead said. One of the most historic events during the Battle of Okinawa took place at Maeda Escarpment, Okinawa, Japan, or Hacksaw Ridge. The Japanese soldiers utilized underground tunnels and bunkers across the ridge which forced American troops to scale the cliff-like terrain to get to the enemy. About Advertising Contact Site Policy Accessibility/Section 508, A community product of © 2020 Stars and Stripes, A northward view from Kakazu Ridge. A deep gorge, which bordered the north side of Kakazu Ridge, posed more challenges. Only a 15-minute drive from MCAS Futenma, the ridge boasts a good vantage point of the mid-section of the island. It took the U.S. forces about 15 days to conquer the ridges and the battle left several thousand dead on both sides, according to a 2008 NHK report. The entrance is fenced-off, but visitors can take a look through and get an idea of the exhausting labor it took to build the structure. GPS coordinates: N 26.248041, E 127.730335 Now, he's the subject of a new film directed by Mel Gibson called Hacksaw Ridge. Stripes Korea President Harry Truman awarded Doss the Medal of Honor in 1945. He enlisted in the Army as a combat medic because he believed in the cause, but had vowed not to kill. Sitemap Near the pillbox, there are monuments for citizens of Korea and Kyoto who were involved and killed in the battle at Kakazu. The Army wanted nothing to do with him. "They just saw him as a slacker," the filmmaker says, "someone who shouldn't have been allowed in the Army, and somebody who was their weakest link in the chain. Battle of Okinawa "HACKSAW RIDGE" The Maeda Escarpment Barrier (Hacksaw Ridge) The eastern end of the Urasoe-Mura Escarpment dominated the 96th Division front in the center of the line. Leigh Willoughby in the Pacific during World War II. Kakazu Ridge itself was especially fortified by the Japanese Imperial Army with bunkers, tunnels and pillboxes. "He just didn't fit into the Army's model of what a good soldier would be," says Terry Benedict, who made a documentary about Doss called The Conscientious Objector. ", Doss' commanding officer, Capt. We Insist: A Timeline Of Protest Music In 2020, A Brave Army Medic Saves Lives In 'Hacksaw Ridge,' Mel Gibson's Return To Directing. Photos by Shoji Kudaka, VIDEO| A virtual trip to Okinawa's Kakazu Ridge, Walk in footsteps of Medal of Honor recipient at Okinawa's Hacksaw Ridge, The sacred shrine of Sefa Utaki on Okinawa, Cherry blossoms to bloom in Northern Okinawa. A trip to both Kakazu and Hacksaw Ridges on Okinawa makes for an interesting glimpse into the history of the area beyond what the big screen can give you. Department of Defense/National Archives He said he conducts tours of the battle site twice a month, or whenever he is requested by a specific unit, because it is important to him that those troops are never forgotten. Over 73 years later, U.S. Marines and Sailors revisited the battleground to pay their respects and learn the history of Hacksaw Ridge. Doss is the subject of “Hacksaw Ridge,” the new movie directed by Mel Gibson. Courtesy of the Desmond Doss Council “When you come to Okinawa and come to these battle sites, you get a chance to stand in their footsteps on these fields and understand more about what happened,” Chris Majewski, a tour guide with Marine Corps Community Services Tours+, said. He explained that the battle site represents more than just the efforts of those brave troops. It loomed directly ahead on the division right--a huge, forbidding, sheer cliff.

This ridge garnered fame and became a popular spot to visit thanks to the 2016 movie “Hacksaw Ridge.”. The terrain was treacherous. In Benedict's documentary, Doss says: "I was praying the whole time.

But as a Seventh-day Adventist, he had also vowed not to kill. hide caption. After the observatory, take a look at what remains of the site’s pillbox, or “tochka,” which the Ginowan City office explains is a Russian military term for “point” or “hub.” Although significantly damaged, the cubic structure still retains its framework. © 2020 Official U.S. Marine Corps Website, © 2020 Official U.S. Marine Corps Website. Both sides bore heavy losses, but on May 6, 1945, the Americans gained control of Hacksaw Ridge.

Forces landing point up north. On April 1, 1945, the Battle of Okinawa began as U.S. Marines and Soldiers made their way to the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa. hide caption. According to “Okinawa: The Last Battle,” a book recounting the events of this deadly battle, U.S. forces coming from the north launched a substantial attack on Kakazu Ridge and another ridge nearby known as Kakazu West on April 9, 1945. " Glover's response: " 'You're not going to be by my damn side if you don't have a gun.' In the documentary, Glover says Doss told him, " 'Don't ever doubt my courage because I will be right by your side saving life while you take life.' Isabella Ortega James C. Craghead, a data systems administrator with HQ Reg., 3rd MLG, his experience at Hacksaw Ridge helped him learn more about the men who shed blood for their country. The battle at Hacksaw Ridge, on the island of Okinawa, was a close combat fight with heavy weaponry. Thousands of American and Japanese soldiers were killed, and the fact that Doss survived the battle and saved so many lives has confounded and awed those who know his story. But hard as they tried, the Army couldn't force Doss to use a weapon. "And then to have him end up saving my life was the irony of the whole thing.". According to one of the tourists, Lance Cpl. ", Under a barrage of gunfire and explosions, Doss crawled on the ground from wounded soldier to wounded soldier. Stripes Japan