Posted on 09/02/2014 11:58:48 AM PDT by Borges
“God would never be cruel enough to create a cyclone as terrible as that Argonne battle. Only man would ever think of doing an awful thing like that. … And I’m telling you the little log cabin in Wolf Valley in old Tennessee seemed a long, long way off.”
With those words, Sergeant Alvin C. York recalled the intensity of the October, 1918 battle that defined him for generations of Tennesseans as the most highly decorated American soldier of World War I, earning the Congressional Medal of Honor among numerous other awards.
In those moments of battle, York, of Fentress County, a self-proclaimed reluctant solider, demonstrated extraordinary valor and strength of leadership in the defense of his men and their position.
Arriving back ihan the United States after the war’s end, Sgt. York was hailed as a hero and greeted by New York City with a ticker tape parade.
York returned to his beloved Tennessee hills and farming, married his church sweetheart, had a family and campaigned tirelessly for increased educational opportunities for the young people of the Upper Cumberland region.
He became one of the most recognizable Tennesseans although he was reluctant to capitalize on his service record for anything other than the fight for education equality.
Sgt. York died on Sept. 2, 1964 and was buried among his family and friends in Pall Mall, Tenn.
A special commemoration event on the 50th anniversary of York’s death will be held Monday, Sept. 1 at the Tennessee State Capitol Grounds in Nashville at 5 p.m.
Like most of our GIs who fought and won WWI and WWII, he was drafted.
The headline needs correcting. Not celebrating his death.....
Agreed. Probably an MTSU grad. Sheesh.
All forms of bravery,particularly bravery in battle,make a coward like me feel small and unimportant.
That is a great movie. I watch it every time I see it on TCM.
I want to go to Pall Mall, TN to see his birthplace. Shockingly, no one else in the family sees it as a worthwhile vacation destination...they're all "let's go on a cruise" and "let's go to Disney". Go figure. :P
awww...it was yesterday. :(
I always wet my sights when I’m gonna do some shootn.
“York! Where are you going?”
“Well sir, you gave me rank and I intend to use it!”
As Corporal York he led a squad up the hill & outflanked the Germans. Then there was that amazing marksmanship.
“Commemorate[d]” is more appropriate, but the misuse leads people to ‘celebrate’ deaths and wars a lot.
Now there are tens thousands of Sgt. York’s in America. Both M/F ...
This obviously doesn't apply to SGT York ... but it does put in context the very high ratio of draftees to volunteers in WWII.
I always cry at that movie. It’s very moving in its understatement.
No, FDR had to go to a draft because the guys were enlisting and filling the non-ground force jobs, we needed men for the Marines and the Army.
I found it poignant - Gary Cooper really brought it to life.
"No" ??? What fact in my post, or in the linked LIFE magazine article, do you dispute?
Read the article. Look up the executive order for yourself, if you like. I have done so.
FDR ended voluntary enlistment. That is a fact. You can speculate all you like about the reasons for it ... it's still a more or less free country ... but I'm not addressing that.
I liked when he gave off the “turkey call” and the germans raised up their heads to look.
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