An Army photographer documented the position on April 30, taking photographs of Doss at the top of the escarpment. The 1st Battalion held the high ground, but holding it was a different proposition from taking it. The Japanese defenders were not finished.
## April 29 Through Early May: The Pattern of Actions
The Medal of Honor citation for Desmond Doss covers a period from April 29 through May 21, 1945 — nearly a month of documented actions. The popular telling of the story, influenced by the 2016 film, often compresses the timeline into a single night or a single extended rescue sequence. The actual record is a series of distinct actions over several weeks.
In the days after the initial assault on the escarpment, Doss crossed approximately 200 yards of ground under enemy rifle and mortar fire to reach a wounded soldier who had fallen forward of the American lines. He treated the man and carried him back to safety. Doing this required moving through ground where nothing provided cover, in daylight, while Japanese positions still held portions of the high ground.
About two days after that action, he made four separate trips to reach men who had been wounded while assaulting a cave position. The four men had been hit at close range — the cave they were attacking was within approximately eight yards of the enemy soldiers firing on them. Doss reached them, assessed their wounds, treated them where they lay, and then carried or helped each of them away from the immediate threat of the cave mouth. Four trips, four men, under continuing fire from a position that was still actively defended.