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Alvin York

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Alvin Cullum York When it comes to American heroes you think about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and Theodore Roosevelt, to name just a few. Have you heard of Alvin Cullum York? He is considered one of the greatest heroes of World War I. York was born December 13, 1887 in Pall Mall, TN. (Alvin Cullum York) He was the third child of eleven siblings of William and Mary York. He grew up in a farm where he learned to farm and hunt out of necessity. Shooting became a requirement to help feed the family by putting meat on the table. (York, Alvin C., Jr) York turned to drinking and fighting as a young adult. He was known to be more of a nuisance that would never amount to anything. (Birdwell) In 1914 York found God as he experienced a religious conversion. York joined a fundamentalist church with a tough ethical code that prohibited drinking, dancing, movies, swimming, swearing, popular literature, and moral injunctions against violence and war. (Birdwell) When the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, York's new found faith in God would be put to the test. York wrote on his draft notice "Don’t want to fight," but he was denied conscientious objector status and drafted into the Army. (Padgett) During training he was convinced by his battalion commander, Gonzalo Edward Buxton, a fellow Bible student, that the Bible endorsed active service. (Duffy) York was deployed to France in 1918. He was such a good marksman that he quickly got promoted to Corporal and began training other men in marksmanship. York’s fame came during a battle in the Argonne Forest against German machine gun positions. A group of 17 Americans soldiers led by York went on a surprise attack against a platoon of German machine guns. They captured 15-20 German soldiers without a shot being fired. (York, Alvin C., Jr) The Germans launched a counterattack on York’s squad killing six American soldiers. While eleven soldiers guarded the German prisoners, York went on the offensive. Using his honed hunting and shooting tactics from the back country of Tennessee he took cover and returned fire towards the onslaught of heavy fire from the Germans. As the Germans peeked over the berm York would shoot them, sniper style. York wrote in his diary: "There were over 30 of them in continuous action and all I could do was touch the Germans off as fast as I could. I was sharpshooting. I don't think I missed a shot. It was no time to miss." (York, Alvin C., Jr) Suddenly six German soldiers, including a lieutenant, jumped from the trench and charged at York. York calmly shot each officer with his pistol. He shot them from rear to front so that the ones in the front would not see others fall and retreat. York explained in his autobiography that as a boy he had learned when hunting geese in flight to shoot the birds in the rear first and work your way to the front, so that the others don’t spook and scatter. (Padgett) The Germans surrendered and York and his remaining men walked 132 German prisoners back to the American camp. York was given the highest of honors, not only from the US but from France and Italy as well, for his heroics during the battle. York was awarded The Medal of Honor, as well as the French Croix de Guerre, the Italian Croce de Guera, and the American Distinguished Service Cross. He was also promoted to the rank of Sergeant. (York, Alvin C., Jr) The Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, General John J. (Blackjack) Pershing called York, "The greatest civilian soldier of the war." (Padgett)

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