AMERICAN CHARACTER by Dave Kopel

eep in the Appalachian Mountains of wages away week aft er week. I used , in the remote Valley of the Th ree to stay out late at nights. I had a powerful lot of fi st fi ghts.” Forks of the Wolf, people regarded the rowdy At age 27, the rowdy York fell D teenager Alvin York as a nuisance. Some of in love with Gracie Williams, the them—especially his mother—hoped that Alvin teenage daughter of a deeply religious might turn his life around. But nobody suspected family. She insisted that he give up drinking and fi ghting if he intended that Alvin York would grow up to become the to win her. greatest American hero of —the On Jan. 1, 1915, Alvin York made epitome of the American sharpshooter and of a personal commitment to Jesus American character. and joined the Church of Christ in Christian Union (cccu). Th e Th e third of 11 children, Alvin to kill a squirrel or a turkey with a cccu was a fundamentalist sect that York was born in 1887 in a one- precise shot to the head, saving the had spun off from the Methodists room cabin in a mountain valley just meat for eating. during the Civil War. Th e church three miles south of the Kentucky As a teenager, Alvin worked on had few established doctrines, but line. Alvin’s father was a blacksmith, railroad crews and picked up many instead required members to read whose smithy was a cave. But Mr. York bad habits from the older men. He the and to draw their own liked hunting best of all. He and later recalled: “I read about Frank and conclusions. Th e church did not Alvin were oft en gone for days on Jesse James. I thought if Frank and formally have pacifi st doctrines, but hunting trips. Jesse could be crack shots I could too. one of the reasons for the split from PHOTOS FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS LIBRARY OF THE FROM PHOTOS Young Alvin became an early I used to gallop my horse around a the Methodists was that the Christian master of the family’s handmade tree with a revolver and muss up that Union founders had refused to cap and ball muzzle-loading rifl e. tree right smart. And I got tolerably support Methodist resolutions Because every game animal was accurate, too. I used to drink a lot backing the Union cause during the needed for meat, Alvin learned how of moonshine. I used to gamble my Civil War.

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By the time that Alvin York 12 miles of the trip. At home, York’s York began picking off the be. He believed that God was with Honor and the Distinguished Service received his draft notice in June pastor and congregation urged him German machine-gunners with his YORK ON SHOOTING him. He later explained, “We know Cross, as well as medals from , 1917, he had read that the Bible to remain an objector, and so did his Enfi eld rifl e. “In order to sight me From Alvin York’s Diary there are miracles, don’t we? Well this and Montenegro. He was also said, “Th ou shalt not kill,” and had mother. He went into the mountains or to swing their machine guns on was one. I was taken care of—it’s the promoted from Corporal to Sergeant. concluded—as had many other alone, where he spent two days and me, the Germans had to show their n our shooting matches at only way I can fi gure it.” Sergeant York absolutely refused members of his church—that war- one night praying for guidance. heads above the trench, and every home we shot at a turkey’s When York later returned to to make money from his fame. But fi ghting was wrong. Yet because York York came down from the time I saw a head I just touched it off . head. We tied the turkey the battle scene to give a tour to as the Second World War began to did not belong to a denomination mountain and explained to a fellow All the time I kept yelling at them to behind a log, and every time American General Julian Lindsey, the threaten the , he fi nally with formal pacifi st beliefs, his congregant, “If some feller was to come down. I didn’t want to kill any it bobbed up its head we general asked, “‘York, how did you consented to the production of a request for come along and bust into your house more than I had to. But it was they letI fl y with those old muzzleloaders do it?’ And I answered him, ‘Sir, it is biographical movie. status was denied. He was inducted and mistreat your wife and murder or I, and I was giving them the best of ours. We paid 10 cents a shot, not man power. A higher power than In the rapidly modernizing and in November 1917. your children, you’d just stand for it? I had.” and if we hit the turkey’s head we man power guided and watched over urbanizing America of the early got to keep the whole turkey. This York quietly went through basic You wouldn’t fi ght?” When one of York’s fi ve-round me and told me what to do.’ And the 1920s, Americans had looked to way we learn to shoot from about training and then in the spring of In May 1918, York’s unit, the 82nd ammunition clips ran out, the 60 yards. Or we would tie the turkey general bowed his head and put his Sergeant York as a reminder of 1918 spoke to an offi cer about his Infantry, shipped out to France. York Germans commenced a out in the open at 150 yards, and if hand on my shoulder and solemnly their traditional rural virtues and continuing objection to war. York’s was convinced “we were to be peace- charge, fi guring that at least one of you hit it above the knee or below said, ‘York, you are right.’” simplicity. In 1941, with global war sincerity was obvious and he was makers… Th at was we-uns. We were the Germans could get to York before the gills you got it. I think we had Before York returned to the United approaching, Americans looked to taken to see Major George Edward to help make peace, the only way the he could reload. just about the best shots that ever States in the spring of 1919, he had the movie “Sergeant York” to martial Buxton, the battalion commander. Germans would understand.” York raised his Colt .45 pistol, squinted down a barrel. Daniel become one of the most famous men courage in the face of danger. Buxton and York spent a long night On Oct. 2, 1918, during the and “…just touched them off , too. I Boone and Davy Crockett used to in America, thanks to a lead article Alvin York had insisted that the touched off the sixth man fi rst, then shoot at these matches long ago. in the Saturday Evening Post. (“Th e movie’s lead role be given to Gary the fi ft h, then the fourth, then the And Andrew Jackson used to recruit Second Elder Gives Battle,” April 26, Cooper. It was an astute choice, third, and so on. I wanted them to his Tennessee sharpshooters from 1919, by George Patullo.) as Cooper’s performance won the Almost single-handedly, York— among our mountain shooters. keep coming. I didn’t want the rear On May 22, gave Academy Award for Best Actor. with his one rifl e and one We used to call our most famous ones to see me touching off the front matches “beeves.” We would make York a ticker-tape parade. At fi rst, he People who knew Sergeant York’s pistol—had killed 25 Germans ones. I was afraid they would drop up a beef, that is, we would drive thought the confetti falling from the real-life story were surprised, though, and knocked 35 German down and pump a volley into me.” up a beef and then each pay, say a skyscrapers was snow. that the movie showed York using a machine guns out of action. Finally, the German commander dollar until we had made up the value “It was very nice,” he wrote in his Luger pistol rather than a Colt; the complied with York’s surrender order. of the beast. The owner got this diary. “But I sure wanted to get back producers could not fi gure out how Corporal Alvin York and the seven money. And we were each allowed to my people where I belonged, and to make a Colt fi re blanks. discussing the Bible. Buxton pointed Battle of Meuse River-Argonne remaining able-bodied Americans so many shots. The best shot got the little old mother and the little When Sergeant Alvin York passed to Jesus’ instruction that the apostles Forest, the fi rst battalion of the 308th faced the task of controlling several the choice of the hind quarters, the mountain girl who were waiting. away in 1964, President Johnson told should carry swords (Luke 22:36); to Infantry Regiment was surrounded dozen German prisoners and getting second best the other hind quarter, And I wanted to be in the mountains the nation, “As the citizen-soldier Jesus’ statement that earthly by Germans and isolated from the them through German territory and the third the choice of the fore again and get out with hounds, and hero of the American Expeditionary quarters, the fourth the other fore kingdoms, unlike Jesus’ spiritual rest of the American army. York’s back to the American lines. On the tree a coon or knock over a red fox. Forces, he epitomized the gallantry quarters, and the fi fth the hide kingdom, do fi ght (John 18:36); and division was sent to rescue the “Lost march back, York’s group ran into two and tallow. And in the midst of the crowds and of American fi ghting men and their to the obligation for Christians to Battalion.” other groups of Germans and bluff ed Our matches were held in an the dinners and receptions I couldn’t sacrifi ces in behalf of freedom.” give governments the “things that Leading a patrol on the morning them into surrendering, too. opening in the forest, and the help thinking of these things.” Two years later, President Johnson are Caesar’s.” Finally, Buxton read of Oct. 8, York and his men Returning to American lines, York shooters would come in from all over When he fi nally got home, “I didn’t again recalled Sergeant York: “… the York Ezekiel 33:1-6, in which God surrounded a German camp, which brought in 128 German enlisted the mountains, and there would be do any hunting for a few days. I’m majority of our countrymen still told the prophet to tell the people to surrendered aft er York killed one men and four offi cers. Almost a great time. We would shoot at a telling you I went hunting Gracie fi rst.” agree with the words that a great listen for the watchman’s trumpet, man. As the Americans were lining single-handedly, York—with his one mark crisscrossed on a tree. The Finally, “I got out with the hounds American hero spoke a long time and to take warning when an armed up the prisoners, German machine- rifl e and one pistol—had killed 25 distance was 26 yards off-hand or and the old muzzleloader; and I got ago. It was Sergeant Alvin York who invader comes. gunners opened fi re from the nearby Germans and knocked 35 German 40 yards prone with a rest. You had to thinking and wondering what it once said, ‘Liberty and freedom and York was now unsure what to hills. Nine Americans were instantly machine guns out of action. Th e to hit that cross if you ever hoped was all about. And I went back to democracy are so very precious that to get all of that meat. Some of our think, so Buxton gave York a 10-day killed or wounded. French army commander Marshal the place on the mountain where I you do not fi ght to win them once mountaineers were such wonderful pass to go home and mull things York recalled: “I didn’t have time Foch called York’s feat “the greatest shots that they would win all fi ve prayed before the war and received and then stop. You do not do that. over. York was promised that if he to dodge behind a tree or dive into thing accomplished by any private prizes and drive the beef home alive my assurance from God that I would Liberty and freedom and democracy still objected to war, he would be the brush, I didn’t even have time to soldier in all the armies in Europe.” on the hoof. Shooting at squirrels is go and come back. And I just stayed are prizes that are awarded only to given a non-combat assignment. kneel or lie down … As soon as the Perhaps the Germans could have good, but busting a turkey at 150 out there and thanked that same God those people who fi ght to win them York returned home, carrying machine guns opened fi re on me, I defeated York, but their morale was yards—ho ho. So the Army shooting who had taken me through the war.” and then keep on fi ghting eternally to his suitcase as he walked the fi nal began to exchange shots with them.” low, while York’s was as high as could was tolerably easy for me. Alvin York received the Medal of hold them.’”

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