War Shrine:

Authentic antique brass casings found near Maeda Escarpment (Hacksaw Ridge) in Urasoe, Japan, casings fired from a Japanese Imperial Army Arisaka rifle during the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945: authentic Japanese coin found at Hacksaw Ridge; 1920s iron weathervane lightning rod; vintage Barclay Manoil cast iron podfoot toy soldier; rustic India bells; vintage Victorian-era porch spindles, Italian nativity sheep, metal cabinet latch, wood bullseye plinth.

The Battle of Okinawa, the last major battle of World War II, was one of the bloodiest. On April 1, 1945, Easter Sunday, the Navy’s Fifth Fleet and more than 180,000 U.S. Army and Marine Corps troops, descended on Okinawa for a final push towards Japan.

 The Maeda Escarpment, also known as Hacksaw Ridge, was located atop a 400-foot vertical cliff. The American attack on the ridge began on April 26.

To defend the escarpment, Japanese troops hunkered down in a network of caves. Determined to hold the ridge, they decimated American platoons until just a few men remained. Much of the fighting was ruthless hand-to-hand combat. The Americans finally took Hacksaw Ridge on May 6.

Corporal Desmond T. Doss, an army medic and Seventh-Day Adventist who refused to raise a gun to the enemy, remained on the escarpment after his commanding officers ordered a retreat. Surrounded by enemy soldiers, he went alone into the battle fray and rescued 75 of his wounded comrades. Doss won a Medal of Honor for his bravery.