All-American Hero

Alright class, today we're going to learn about one of my favorite stories from WWI--especially since today is the 87th anniversary of it.

Once there was this rabble rouser who lived in the hills of Tennessee. Most people never thought that he'd amount to much, especially since most of what he caused was trouble, and most of what he did was non-productive. People shook their heads and sighed at the mess that this poor troubled youth was. This poor troubled youth named Alvin C. York.

This is the point where, if you knew who Alvin C. York was, you'd gasp and get really excited, because you knew what was coming next, and it was one of your favorite stories too...bet you a bag of marbles not one of you got excited. What? You're still not excited? *sigh*

Alvin changed his life around a bit, after the death of a friend, and joined a Christian denomination (the fundamentalist Church of Christ in Christian Union to be precise). He was their song leader and Sunday School Teacher. Yessir, things were finally looking to be right for our friend Alvin.

But then (dun DUN DUN!) came the outbreak of WWI. Alvin got his draft card in the mail shortly after the war broke out. He petitioned for "contientious objector" status, as his newfound faith was pacifist, but was denied his petition based on the fact that his church wasn't a recognized Christian denomination. He was offered non-combatant service, but refused and went into the army after being convinced that America had just cause to be fighting.

"On October 8, 1918, York and 15 other soldiers under the command of Sergeant Bernard Early were dispatched to seize a German-held rail point during the Allies' Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The Americans lost their way and soon found themselves behind enemy lines. A brief firefight ensued with a superior German force, and in the confusion a group of Germans surrendered. However, German machine-gunners on a hill overlooking the scene soon noticed the small size of Early's patrol. Yelling in German for their comrades to take cover, the machine gunners opened fire on the Americans, cutting down half the detachment, including Sergeant Early.York immediately returned fire and with his marksman eye began picking off the German gunners. He then fearlessly charged the machine-gun nest. Several of the other surviving Americans followed his lead and probably contributed to the final total of 25 enemies killed. With his automatic pistol, York shot down six German soldiers sent out of the trench to intercept him. The German commander, thinking he had underestimated the size of the American force, surrendered as York reached the machine-gun nest. York and the other seven survivors took custody of some 90 Germans and on the way back to the Allied lines encountered 40 or so other enemy troops, who were coerced to surrender by the German major that the Americans had in their custody. The final tally was 132 prisoners.

York was promoted to the rank of sergeant and hailed as the greatest civilian soldier of the war by several Allied leaders. He was given a hero's welcome upon his return to the United States in 1919 and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration. In the 1920s, he used his fame to raise funds for the York Industrial Institute (now Alvin C. York Institute), a school for underprivileged children in rural Tennessee. He later opened a Bible school.

Sergeant York, the 1941 film starring Gary Cooper, was based on his life. York died in 1964."

That last part is from Historychannel.com--I don't know that I could have told it any clearer. I absolutely love the story. This guy that no one thought anything of, who wasn't exactly in a place where he felt comfortable and at ease, totally excelled because he put some effort into it.

Moral(s) of the day:

Make the best of your situation, and one person can make a difference.
AND
Learn to shoot guns when you're little in case you need to take out enemy soldiers with machine guns.