Posted on 06/05/2017 9:02:35 AM PDT by Oldpuppymax
Although World War I changed the world, in many ways it is the forgotten war that needs to be remembered once again in the 21st Century. One such remembrance is owed Sgt. Alvin C. York of the Upper Cumberland Valley of Tennessee. He did not want to fight in the war due to his religious convictions, but was inspired to do so by his drill sergeant who gave him a Bible and an American history book.
On October 8, 1918, in less than fifteen minutes, his life would change forever. He single-handedly captured four German officers and one hundred twenty-eight German soldiers while leading his battered platoon behind enemy lines. For his uncanny heroism, he received the U.S. Medal of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre and became an instant nationwide hero. In 1941, the movie ‘Sergeant York’ starring actor Gary Cooper was released portraying his fifteen-minute heroic feat and the events that led up to it.
York’s inspirational heroism may have brought World War I to an early conclusion. But what is striking is how much the world changed Sgt. York after the war. He said, “When I went out into that ‘big outside world’ I...realized how un-educated I was and what a terrible handicap it were.”
Through all the glaring fanfare, York’s priority in life was not the fame, title or fortune, but to make education a priority across the countryside of his boyhood home – the rural Upper Cumberland Valley in Tennessee.
See, as York was growing up, there were no asphalt streets, electricity or indoor plumbing. He was exposed to such conveniences when he went abroad during the war and initiated these advancements in his community when he returned. The irony is, that even with all these modern innovations...
(Excerpt) Read more at thecoachsteam.com ...
I asked my grandfather years ago, who was a WW1 combat veteran, what he and his outfit thought of Sgt. York. He said, “the Huns were so tired of fighting, you could point a banana at them and company would surrender. They’d jump out of the bushes, from anywhere, in a big hurry to surrender. It would scare the piss out of ya.”
The combination of bravery, duty, honor, Christian compassion even in the midst of combat, and above all humility evinced by this quiet, simple man should be held up as a model for every American to emulate.
The VA Hospital in Murfreesboro, TN is named Alvin C York ...
The Coach should learn the difference between each service’s Medal of Honor. The one depicted in his column is the Air Force Medal of Honor.
His legacy meant NOTHING to the IRS!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDrBWPI1Ctk&t=42s
He was a bigger hero in peace than in war.
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