FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Alvin York ~ 16 September 2019

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[Kathy in Alaska]

 

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

SGT Alvin C. York

(Info found here.)

           

BIOGRAPHY

Alvin Cullum York (1887-1964) ended the First World War as one of America's most famous soldiers, with fame and popular recognition assured following a remarkable act of courage and coolness in October 1918.

Having grown up in poverty the young York honed his skills as a crack marksman, a useful talent for use in hunting food for himself and his family - and one put to high effect during the war.

Despite his remarkable reputation for bravery and the win-at-all-costs attitude displayed during his wartime service York was and remained a pacifist. Following a religious conversion in 1911 - he became lay deacon of a local pacifist sect - he declared himself a convinced pacifist.

Consequently with the U.S. entry into World War One York initially returned his draft papers before they were summarily resent to him by the draft board, at which stage he was drafted into 328th Regiment, 82nd Infantry. During training however he was convinced by his battalion commander, Gonzalo Edward Buxton - a fellow Bible student - that the Bible sanctioned active service.

Once in France the semi-literate York earned lifetime fame for his part in an attack in the Argonne Forest against German machine gun positions on 8 October 1918. York, an acting Corporal, led 17 men in action against a German stronghold, the aim being to secure the position and return with German prisoners.

Initially successful without coming under fire, the small expedition took a number of prisoners before the Germans launched a heavy counterattack. With 11 of York's men guarding the captured prisoners (and with the other six killed) York resolved to proceed alone and tackle the German gunners ranged against them.

Having shot some 17 gunners via sniping, York was charged by seven German soldiers who realised that he was operating on his own. He killed them all with his pistol. With the aid of a German Major captured earlier York brought in a total of 132 German prisoners, a remarkable feat.

He was well rewarded however, receiving lavish press coverage at home and the Congressional Medal of Honor, in addition to the French Croix de Guerre (and a fulsome citation from Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch).

Returning home to a New York City parade, York was awarded a gift of a farm by his home state, Tennessee. A film of his life was made in 1940, Sergeant York, starring Gary Cooper; York used the fee he was paid for the film to fund a Bible college.

He died in 1964.

Link

QUOTES

"Sir, I am doing wrong. Practicing to kill people is against my religion."

York, speaking of target practice at human silhouettes.

 

"What you did was the greatest thing accomplished by any private soldier of all the armies of Europe."

Marshall Ferdinand Foch, on York's feat in the Argonne.

 

"This uniform ain't for sale."

York, on demands for his endorsement.

 

"It's over; let's just forget about it."

York's modesty about the the event that brought him the Medal of Honor.

Link 

Medal of Honor Citation

Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company G, 328th Infantry, 82d Division.
Place and date: Near Chatel-Chehery, France, 8 October 1918.
Entered service at: Pall Mall, Tenn.
Born: 13 December 1887, Fentress County, Tenn.
G.O. No.: 59, W.D., 1919.

Citation:

After his platoon had suffered heavy casualties and 3 other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading 7 men, he charged with great daring a machinegun nest which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machinegun nest was taken, together with 4 officers and 128 men and several guns.

 

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[radu]

Glad you two had a good time. It sounds like Gizmo behaved this time.
But there’s always tomorrow. :-)

[radu]

You know me too well. LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

God bless and keep safe our troops worldwide.

Good night.

Statler Brothers ~ How Great Thou Art

[luvie]

He sure did. Without hesitation.

[luvie]

I hear ya. Maybe in October. LOL!

Guess I’d better head out. 7:30 came way too early this morning. I even went to bed “early”. And then couldn’t go to sleep. Bah!

See ya tomorrow!

[E.G.C.]

Yep. We will do Chisolm Trail Park later today so we'll see what happens.

I did let Giz out to go to the bathroom a few minutes. He always seems to want to be out for a time at this time of day. Not sure if he likes the dark or if he's just looking for something to bark at.

I know sometimes he'll just bark and I wonder if it's because he wants to go outside or just for me to play with him and let him nibble which he stills seems to want. He's approaching his 2nd birthday next month.

[radu]

MAYBE in October. LOL! At the rate it’s going, we won’t cool off until November.

I’m surprised you stayed up so late. Must have found a good show or two to watch.
Sleep well!

[radu]

Hey, when a pup’s gotta go, he’s gotta go. LOL! At least you’re awake this time of night to let him out so he isn’t miserable having to hold it.

Ya just have to try to figure out what he’s trying to say when he barks. It’s too bad we can’t be like Dr. Doolittle and talk to the animals, isn’t it? :-)

[Joe Boucher]

Wife and I visited Pall Mall last year,
York’s Home and Grist mill.
Extremely worthwhile visit.
Though beware there is literally zero in the small town.

[left that other site]

Oh yes. I was seven HOURS on the “saddle” today, just cruising the back roads of SE MA, through cornfields, cow farms, and yard sales. The trees are beginning to get some color. It was nice.

Penny has no use for the bike so she stayed home and napped.

[luvie]

Howdy, EGC! (((hugs)))

Glad y’all had fun yesterday and that you’ll be able to get out to Chisolm Trail Park today. I hope he doesn’t run off like has has been. It’s hard to chase a young energetic dog! LOL!

Hope it has cooled off up there. It has here....a bit. I’m still wanting it to be more fallish! :)

[luvie]

Hope all you Early Birds are up an' at 'em!
This Night Owl is NOT!
So, of course, I'm running late.
It's ok....I'm retired! LOL!
It's a pretty day here. Ho-hum.
I'll reeeeally love to see a good thunderstorm!
AND lots of refreshing rain!
Oh, well....at least it's cooler.
Y'all all have a Mahv'lus Monday!
...and a GREAAAAT week!
(((hugs)))

[Paal Gulli]

"Springfield 30.06 bolt action most likely"

Nope, it was the American Enfield. York actually preferred it over the Springfield.

[HiJinx]

It has cooled off here, and we’ve had a couple of days of gentle showers. I’m guessing the ‘monsoon’ has about run it’s course.

[Paal Gulli]

The State of Tennessee gave York a grist mill (in the sprawling metropolis of Pall Mall) in appreciation for his wartime service. It’s now become a state park and I stopped in there one day just to have a look around on the way back from visiting the York family homestead down in the Valley of the Three Forks.

When the park ranger (of the mill) greeted me I noticed his name tag read “York.” So I asked him half disbelievingly, “You’re not kin, are you?” He said he was one of York’s sons, Andrew Jackson York (b. 1930, the fifth of Alvin & Gracie’s eight children, and AFAIK still living).

We chatted a while and then it struck me to ask about the story Cooper tells in the film about gobbling like a turkey to trick the Huns into exposing themselves. And Ranger York told me to the effect that he had once asked his father the same question. And he said Alvin answered him, “It whar the only way I could think of to make ‘em poke their heads up.”

York was a member of an obscure denomination called the Church of Christ in Christian Union. His petition for CO status got turned down because the CCCU was too new (it only had been founded in 1909) and its members were too few in number to yet have been recognized as a “peace church” by the Selective Service. They had to put some sort of limits on it so that six fishing buddies from Pascagoula couldn’t plot to form the pacifist First Self-righteous Church and the next week apply for CO status to get out of serving in the military.

And to compound his problems, the CCCU was a sort of “free form” church. It did not impose doctrine on its adherents but instead encouraged them to read the scriptures for themselves and make their own interpretations. Consequently, unlike the longstanding peace churches, such as the Quakers and the Mennonites, the CCCU wasn’t — strictly speaking — a pacifist religion. That didn’t prevent York’s personal interpretation from being pacifistic, but so the Selective Service board, personal interpretation was immaterial.

York had for years resisted Hollywood’s efforts to glamorize his story and when he finally gave in and agreed to cooperate with the film makers, he had just one iron-clad provision. He had to be played by Gary Cooper.