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Hacksaw Ridge Ethical Dilemmas

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Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson, is a film that takes place during World War II.
Specifically during “The Battle of Okinawa” at the location of the infamous “Hacksaw Ridge.” The film focuses on Desmond Doss, who decided to enlist in the Army as a “conscientious objector” during wartime. This caused a lot of issues for him during his time at basic training , and right before being sent to his unit . Because he didn’t have a rifle qualification on record and refused to pick up a rifle they called it “insubordination”, and they ended up putting him in jail awaiting his trial. This brought up the ethical dilemma of Doss being a “conscientious objector” in terms of carrying a rifle. It was not ethical to treat Doss differently for his refusal to carry a rifle or his religious beliefs . …show more content…

Specifically, the 6th commandment “thou shall not kill.” This is a religious belief that is now being infringed upon by the military . Once Doss’s Commanding Officer found out he did not want to carry a rifle, they tried to “Section 8” him out of the military for mental illness. His commander not only thought it was crazy for a man to want to go into the hellfire of battle with no weapon but was also concerned for his other troops. He was concerned with how they would see it , and for their lives in the heat of battle. Yes, the commander is in his right mind to have these thoughts in the protection of his troops, but is it ethical to have him kicked out of the army and arrested? Is it ethical to treat Doss differently because of his religious views? Not only was Doss beaten by his fellow soldiers, but he was treated more harshly by the people in charge of him. They did this in an effort to get him to quit if they couldn’t get him kicked

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