Alvin York; 97 years ago today
On October 8th, 1918, Alvin York, the hillbilly from Pall Mall, Tennessee, taught the Kaiser’s troops the importance of marksmanship over the volume of fire when he killed more than twenty Germans and captured 132 others, destroying 32 machinegun emplacements nearly single-handedly with his M1917 Enfield rifle and his M1911 Colt semi-automatic pistol in the Muese-Argonne. That day he earned the Distinguished Service Cross which was upgraded to the Medal of Honor a few months later and presented by “Black Jack” Pershing. The French Republic awarded him the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. Italy awarded him its Croce di Guerra al Merito and Montenegro.
The citation for his Medal of Honor was pretty brief and unexceptional;
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.
He was such a popular figure, whenever I had visitors while I was stationed at Fort Bragg, sixty years after the war and 15 years after his death, they were most excited when they encountered his uniform in the 82d museum.
Category: Historical
I thought his film portayal was too cornball for me, but still loved the movie and was always in awe of his actions.
A giant in the History of the USA.
REAL DEAL
There are a couple speeches by him here, (WWII era):
https://archive.org/details/WhatAreWeFightingFor_496
https://archive.org/details/19420222PSA
right click on “VBR ZIP” on left side of page to download.
Jonn;
You certainly got the details right on his issued weaponry. The movie portrayed him using 1903 Springfield (no go!) and a Luger (no go). Although some units were issued the 1903, there wasn’t enough of them, so American troops arriving in country were issued a variety of bolt action rifles. Also depending on who these American units were attached to. French or British commands.
“The actual firearm used by Alvin C. York to dispose of a line of seven Germans was not a Luger as depicted in the film, but rather a 1911 .45 ACP automatic. The Luger was preferred for the filmmaking, however, purely on the basis that they couldn’t get the .45 to fire blanks.”
Lots of other interesting tidbits on IMDB.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034167/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv
Valley of The Three Forks. Aye!
what a bad ass ! ! ! !
sad but in today’s army he would be thrown out for being a soldier…. 🙁
Most amazing is that he never completed SSD1.
SGT York was made in 1941 in advance of the Nation’s eventual entry in to WWII.
Per TCM on air personalities, producers in Hollywood worked with the War Department to create a moving true story of faith, love of country, courage, sacrifice and American patriotism. The production and release was no coinkadink!
Gary Cooper did an outstanding job with the role and I watch the movie at least once a year.
“’Sergeant York’ is good native drama, inspiring in parts and full of life. It is a little naive, perhaps, but so are the folks of which it tells.”
So wrote one Bosley Crowder in his July 3, 1941 NYT review of the movie. One wonders how he typed with his long, blue nose tilted up so high. Yeah, York and his family and friends were plain, mountain folks, bumpkins who were strangers to subways and traffic and crime and filth and all of the urbane and sophisticated pursuits of the cosmopolitan man. York was from hard and honest stock, the sort of people Obama had in mind when he spoke disparagingly of those who cling to their Bibles, beer, and guns. What Crowder and Obama have in common is how they regard as naïve those who, like York, understand right and wrong and, despite the presumed blessings of formal education, are in so many ways more valuable to the nation and to the world than Crowder, Obama and their ilk could ever understand. It was true then and it remains true today.