On October 8, 1918, United States Army Corporal Alvin C. York killed over 20 German soldiers and captured an additional 132 when he charged a machine gun during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I.
His heroism occurred during a mission behind enemy lines when a German machine gun began firing, killing nine of the 17 men in his small unit. As the highest ranking soldier remaining, York led an assault against the enemy position. He maneuvered his way towards the firing when six Germans charged him with fixed bayonets. He shot all six with his pistol. Seeing this brave American dodge a hail of bullets while killing his comrades, a German officer finally surrendered.
His actions resulted in the Congressional Medal of Honor, making him one of the most famous American soldiers of World War I. The New York Times called him the “war’s biggest hero,” while Gen. John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force, called him “the greatest civilian soldier of the war.” York Avenue in Manhattan was named after him, while a movie about his story became the highest grossing film of 1941.
York was immediately promoted to Sergeant and received the Distinguished Service Cross. He then received America’s highest honor from Pershing, while the French bestowed him with the Legion of Honor.
Following his heroics, York said, “A higher power than man guided and watched over me and told me what to do.”
Throughout his life, York’s faith in God remained central to his character. Born in a log cabin along the Kentucky-Tennessee border in 1887, York was among 11 children who lived off subsistence farming and hunting. With only nine months of education, he dropped out of school and began helping at home. Following his father’s death, York helped his mother raise his siblings while working as a skilled laborer. Unfortunately, he earned a reputation as a violent drunk who often brawled, although he remained a faithful churchgoer. After a bar fight killed a friend, he experienced a religious conversion and rejected violence, drinking and gambling in 1915.
After the outbreak of World War I, York registered for the draft. When asked “Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds?)” York wrote “Yes. Don’t want to fight.” His objection to military service under conscientious grounds was denied and he was sent to Camp Gordon, Ga., for basic training. His company commander and battalion commander–both religious men–convinced York about the war’s moral justification before he shipped off to France with the 82nd Infantry Division.
After the war, York returned to Tennessee to live a quiet life with his new wife, Gracie Loretta Williams. He rejected lucrative offers from Hollywood, Broadway and advertisers. Instead, York wanted to assist his local community by helping young people receive the type of education he never did. In France, he saw how mechanization and industry were changing the world, and he knew education was the key to a better life.
With the help of several federal and state lawmakers, York formed the Alvin C. York Foundation to increase educational opportunities in his region of Tennessee. His work would eventually create the York Agricultural Institute, which still helps provide vocational training. York even mortgaged his own home to help pay for student transportation.
While fundraising for his initiatives, audiences were often left disappointed when they asked about his actions in France.
“I occupied one space in a fifty mile front,” York would say. “I saw so little it hardly seems worthwhile discussing it. I’m trying to forget the war in interest of the mountain boys and girls that I grew up among.”
He finally allowed filmmakers to adapt his story to help fund a bible school. Sergeant York, starring Gary Cooper, was released in 1941. Many considered the film propaganda for the pending intervention in Europe, again.
During World War II, York reportedly tried to re-enlist but was denied because of his age and declining health. He supported the war effort by participating in bond drives and visiting training camps to meet and cheer on American troops.
York died on September 2, 1964, at age 76. He was survived by seven children and his wife.
A statue of York sits outside the Tennessee statehouse in Nashville.
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