Desmond Doss (February 7, 1919 – March 23, 2006) grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia and was a Seventh-day Adventist, which meant he was a pacifist. He did not believe in violence and chose not to use or carry weapons. He vowed not to kill.
He was a combat medic in the United States Army during World War II. During the Battle of Okinawa, he saved 75 soldiers that were left behind and wounded. He tied them in a special knot and lowered them safely down the ridge. After the war, Desmond Doss was awarded with many medals. He was the first pacifist to receive the Medal of Honor. He received the purple heart.
Manuela Saenz
Manuela Saenz was born in Quito, Ecuador. She was born in 1797. She was born during the Spanish colonial rule. Manuela Saenz's nickname was Manuelita. She had an affair with a military officer. She left her husband in 1822. She is known as a war hero because she helped a lot of countries be independent from the Spanish rule. Manuela Saenz died in Paita, Peru, She died in the year 1856. Manuela Saenz body was put into a communal grave, She died of a diphtheria epidemic. It was her price for being in love and working with Simon Bolivar. Saenz's remains have been carried through Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Governments across the world have removed Manuela Saenz's remains as a symbol, They also are having ceremonies to honor her and her help to many countries.
Saenz was called “la libertadora del libertador” because she saved Simon Bolivar's life twice, Manuela Saenz followed Simon bolivar on his campaigns and saved his life, she let him escape out the window. Manuela is quoted to have said "Go ahead, cowards, kill me! Kill a woman!” when she was making time so Simon could escape.
In May 1822 Manuela joined Simon Bolivar and his soldiers on the battlefield. Manuela Saenz joined Simon Bolivar to liberate South America. Manuela is known as the mistress of Simon Bolivar.
Bolivar had a fever and only Saenz had read to Bolivar when he was sick with a fever, Simon Bolivar died. Saenz attempted to kill herself with a snake after Bolivar died, Saenz thought that no matter if Simon Bolivar died, his influence would never die because he gave so many people freedom. After Simon died she became a shopkeeper, Simon Bolivar had many lovers but it was only Saenz who he took with him into the most dangerous marches of the wars of independence in Latin America.
Manuela went through inequality in her childhood and she wanted independence and a change. She was fighting battles in the 1820’s. She wore men’s clothes and a mustache from a dead Spanish soldier. Manuela Saenz acted like a nurse on the battlefield at Ayacucho,Ecuador. When the rebels won she earned a rank of lieutenant.
She worked as an officer, military hero, and spy in the 1800s she also acted as a nurse and a combatant spy expert, army general, mistress and protector of South America. When she was 26 she ran away from a convent and became a spy in Peru in the year 1822. After Simon Bolivar died his enemies send Manuela out of Colombia and send her to Peru. She Continued her political activity in Peru. People believed that women should not be involved in politics so it was easier for them to be smugglers and spies. When she was trying to get people's attention she sent letters to people of power. She was exiled because she was accused of trying to overthrow the government. In her letters she shows that women wanted to become involved with politics.
Dungeons and Dragons Satanic Panic
In the 1980s, the fantasy roleplaying game "Dungeons & Dragons" was attacked and accused of supporting Satanism, and leading people to commit suicide.
Some religious beliefs and fear of the unknown led to false accusations against things that were different from the norm. The protest against it changed the game forever and made players have to adapt to new rules. Many wanted to stop D&D completely, but in the end  compromises were made and the game is enjoyed by millions today.
In the 1980s, fear of the occult was a big problem. It all began when a mother believed her daughter's daycare center was teaching her to support and worship Satan. Daycare centers were very new back then and parents were afraid of the safety of their children. This one mother's accusation led an investigation as other parents started making false claims.
The interrogated children never said anything bad happened. Parents got so mad at this that many police scared the kids into saying what they wanted to hear. Accusations like this spread across the country, from rock music to card games. D&D was a big part of those accusations.
D&D was arguably the first true role-playing game. Many people feared the occult and because of all these reports with D&D, suicides and murders, people also started fearing D&D. Time magazine published an article about D&D being satanic.
Though it was satire, it still caught on to people's fear of the occult. This fear led to problems with the criminal justice system. For example the West Memphis 3, 3 teens accused of murder, were prosecuted just because of people being scared of the occult. Even a policeman changed a story about the Irving Pulling case (Suicides & Harm) because he was scared of TSR suing him.
James Dallas Egbert III disappeared in 1979 from his dorm in Michigan State University. He was found alive in the utility tunnels of the school two days later by a private investigator after James attempted suicide. His mother had found his suicide note the day before. The note referenced Egbert’s character in D&D needing to die because a demon told him to kill himself.
His mother completely blamed the game. Egbert suffered from many mental illnesses that were not researched enough, including depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety. William Dear, the private investigator, suspected that the game had caused James' actions.
The media took this as a fact and started an outrage against D&D. Dear thought Egbert went into the tunnels to play a live action version of the game. A year later, Egbert died from a gunshot suicide This story was the basis of the book (and later movie) Mazes & Monsters.
In 1983 the suicide of Irving Lee Pulling II was also associated with D&D. Patricia Pulling, Irving’s mom, founded Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons as a result. Ms.Pulling found other D&D players who did harmful actions such as James Curbing, a rabid player, who killed his school principal, wounded three classmates, then shot himself. There was a view that teenagers could not see the difference between fantasy and reality, and that all these murders and suicides were building on that, especially after many suicide notes mentioned the game.
August, 1983. Investigators found Irving Lee Pulling and his brother dead from gunshot wounds beneath a railroad trestle. Irving had a gun in hand. Police thought it was a murder suicide. Pulling saw the incident as more than a murder suicide. She blamed Irving’s favorite game, Dungeons and Dragons, for his death.
Classmates say the trestle they were found under was a frequent place the boys would venture to play D&D. Investigators found that earlier that day Irving’s character had a curse cast upon him. The curse was supposed to cause his character “emotional pain and damage.” Pulling the curse was real, and was the cause of his suicide.
Patricia Pulling said her claims about D&D supporting Satan had to be true because no one would be able to write with so much detail (in the manuals) without vast knowledge of the occult. Some monsters from the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons were demons, with varying degrees of power over the characters. Patricia sued Irving’s school for allowing the kids to play there. The principal argued that the game was not part of the curriculum of the school, and the charges were dropped.