SGT York 1 SERGEANT ALVIN C. YORK: WWl BATTLE OF THE ARGONNE FOREST Sergeant Alvin C. York: WWl Battle of the Argonne Forest MSG Yong Fox, #421 SGM Juan Ortiz Class 56 LOI SGT York 2 Abstract What is hero? The definition of hero by The Random House College Dictionary stated that hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. There are many heroes in the Army, and each of the heroes is a unique as an individual, their situation at the time ofheroic act, personality and how they are became heroes. In throughout course of my research, I had learned that SGT York's true meaning of life is to serve the God until his death and contended with who he is and most of all, he knew what was his purpose in life. As author described in his book, Sergeant York, An American Hero by David D. Lee (1985), the Sergeant Alvin C. York is a simple man who became an American hero by doing what he is supposed to do. The war had introduced a common man who had never dreamed ofbecoming a hero until his role as a Soldier in WWl, but at the same time what he will become of ifhe did not draft into the Army? One will never know but I believe that without an enlistment in the Army, Sergeant York will never remember as a hero by definition and recognition throughout NCO Corps. SGT York 3 Sergeant Alvin C. York - WWl Battle of the Argonne Forest: Sergeant York's early years begin at one room log cabin in Pall Mall, Tennessee where total populations were less than 8,000. He was born on 13 December 1887, and he is third oldest of a family of eleven children. Keep in mind that while he was growing up, he had never traveled more than 30 miles outside of his hometown or away from his family in a length of time. He had only 9 months of schooling but regardless of his education background, he had achieved mission that no other person has accomplished during his time. He became a religious when his best friend, Everett Delk, was killed in a bar fight, and he attended a revival conducted by H.H. Russell of the Church of Christ in Christian Union. Prior to York's religious conversion, he earned a reputation as a deadly accurate shot and a hell raiser, and considered as a nuisance and someone who "would never amount to anything" (Birdwell 1­ 2). He was raised as a Methodist, but changed his religion to Church of Christ in Christian Union and became a Sunday school teacher and the song leader. However, at the church he meets with Gracie Williams, who had become his wife. On 6 April 1917, the United States declared war on Germany would change the York's life forever when he received a draft notice on 5 June 1917, six months prior to his Thirtieth birthday. Because he had changed his religion to Church of Christ in Christian Union is against war, and deeply committed to his religion, he was tone between the religion and patriotic duty. His pastor, Rosie Pile, encouraged York to seek conscientious objector status, but denied at both the local and state level because his church was not considered as a legitimate Christian sect. (Birdwell 2). In addition to his conscientious objector status, "there were two reasons that he did not want to go war; My own experience told me it wasn't right, and the Bible was against it SGT York 4 too ... but Uncle Sam said he wanted me, and I had been brought up to believe in my country" (Williams 6). The draft notice from the War Department in Washington created a difficulty on York's life to including his mother. As mentioned above, all ofhis life, he had never traveled more than 30 miles from his home or away from his family, but now he is facing a dilemma and must choose between God and the Country. He was a true patriotic American that loved the country and served God but in same time, he had never had to choose between the two main beliefs that caused confusion in his own mind, and as he said, he was a "soul in doubt" not a conscientious objector. There were contradictory statements in regards to his status as a conscientious objector, and he stated, "I never was a conscientious objector," and "So long as the records remain 1 will be officially known as a conscientious objector. 1 was." (Williams 7). Alvin York's physical exam was completed on 28 October, and on 14 November, he reported for induction, and the Alvin York was officially introduced into the Army. On 15 November 1917, he left Oneida for Camp Gordon, Georgia, and he was assigned to the 21 st Training Battalion from 17 November 1917 thru 1 February 1918. While at training base, he was experienced from homesick, and he is longing for his hills, mountains and valleys. The World War 1 training introduced use and care of the automatic rifle and machine gun, gas defense, use of the bayonet and trench mortar, construction ofthe field fortifications, and scouting and patrolling. The courses lasted from one to sis weeks and from each regiment with one officer and two noncommissioned officers attended the courses. The M1917 Enfield found itself in the hands ofmore Doughboys during The Great War than the Springfield, and the CPL York employing his M1917 with deadly effect in wiping out a hornets nest of German machinegun posts and capturing the enemy soldiers during the battle of SGT York 5 the Argonne Forrest. At end ofWWl, the M1917 was retired from active duty in favor of the well-entrenched M1903. the M1917 is manually operated, and propensity to take military bolt action rifles and alter them to sporting configuration for hunting, makes original, unaltered M1917's extremely scarce and highly desirable (Brief History of the M1917 Enfield). The M1911 .45 ACP Pistol was designed by John Moses Browning, and in its final form, the M1911 was a locked-breech, single-action semi-automatic pistol. On 29 March 1911, the Browning-designed, Colt-produced .45 Automatic pistol was selected as the official sidearm of the Armed Forces of U.S.A. and named Model 1911. When we entered the Great War, the U.S. Government had purchased some 140,000 M1911 pistols from both Colt and Springfield Armory. The Armory tooled up in 1913 to make M1911s and help fill initial orders. Altogether, some 31,000 M1911s were built at Springfield prior to the U.S. entry into World War 1. To meet wartime requirements, they made 45,000 more, all in 1918 (History of the M1911 Pistol). On 1 February 1918, he was assigned to Company G, 328th Infantry Regiment, 82 nd Division, a combat unit that seemed destined for front-line service (Lee 19). This was known as the All-American Division that composed of men from every state in the Union. It was shooting practice where the Private York was excelled and appreciated his father's training with the long rifle began to payoff. He became a sharpshooter in a short time, and was being asked teach others to shoot (Williams 8). On 26 September 1918, Allied troops now took the offensive, under the command of General Foch. Thanks to the presence of a million American soldiers in France by this time, the Allies made slow, but steady, progress. The German high command warned that it could no longer ensure victory and, as the German army began mutinying, it sued for peace (Battle of the Argonne Forest in France). SGT York 6 Corporal York's 82nd Division left Camp Gordon on 19 April 1918 to Camp Upton, New York and went into the Battle of the Argonne on 28 September 1918. His destiny came on the morning of8 October 1918 in the Argonne Forest of France. It was the first offensive battle of the Argonne, and his battalion was one of the attacking battalions. CPL York's detachment consisted of one non-commissioned officer and sixteen men and CPL York was one of these seventeen men. When orders came down on the night of the 7 October, their mission was to destroy the machine gun nests and press on to the Decauville Railroad, which was their objective. CPL York crawling through the undergrowth, they succeeded in passing around the German flank and getting behind their lines. He was using a rifle and a .45 Colt automatic (The Medal of Honor 9), and when CPL York reported to battalion headquarters, officers counted 128 enlisted men and 4 officers among his hunter's bag. CPL York acted virtually along, he was credited with killing 25 Germans and capturing 132, and with putting 35 machine guns out of action while only armed a rifle and a pistol. Although he became famous as Sergeant York, but he was a Corporal at the time of his incredible feat. He was promoted to Sergeant and showered with so many medals that he said he would wear two coats ifhe wants them all one time. He had received Distinguished Service Cross then few months later with Medal ofHonor (Lee 39). The official history ofthe 82nd Division states that York's exploit in the Argonne Forest "will always be retold in the military tradition of our country. It is entitled to a place among the famous deeds in army's in legendary or modem warfare." SGT York stayed on the front lines in the Argonne from 8 October until 1 November and was relieved from the front lines and sent back to a rest camp.