How many nations would draft a man into service, allow him to be a medic due to his conviction of being a conscientious objector, and end up bestowing upon him the Congressional Medal of Honor for valiant service? Only one — America — the land of the free and home of the brave.

In honor of Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, the Madera Pathfinder Club invited their community to a showing of "The Conscientious Objector," a feature-length documentary about Desmond Doss.

The film tells the story of Doss, a Seventh-day Adventist, who, when drafted during World War II, chose not to bear arms but to serve his country as a medic. As a conscientious objector, he experienced ridicule and injustice at the hands of his peers and superiors. He remained faithful to his beliefs and subsequently saved more than 75 lives in Okinawa, Japan. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman in 1945.

The free showing was advertised in the Madera Tribune. More than 200 people attended the event; about 30 percent were community guests, including Ron Dominichi, chairman of the board of supervisors for Madera County.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Honor Guard presented colours, followed by the Pathfinders, who were led by Ed Machain, Jr., in his Marine dress uniform. Machain, a Madera church member, had recently returned from duty in Iraq.

Veterans from the audience stood as a round of applause honored them. After the Pledge of Allegiance and the playing of Taps, the film was shown.

Ron Evans, a Madera Pathfinder leader, says, “This event was not about the Pathfinders or me, but about our country and the veterans who have served it.”