SERGEANT YORK - A HOMETOWN HERO AND MILITARY ICON

A MIDDLE TENNESSEE TREASURE

By: Adam York

When you think of famous Tennesseans, names like West Tennessee’s Elvis Presley or East Tennessee’s Dolly Parton likely rise to the top of your mind. However, did you know that Middle Tennessee boasts another hero of its own — one with humble beginnings who never really even sought fame or notoriety, but rather inherited it through civic duty to our country? If the name Alvin C. York doesn’t ring a bell, here’s a fun little Tennessee (and U.S.) history lesson that will hopefully make you even more proud to call Middle Tennessee home.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

A Call from God ... and Uncle Sam

Born in Fentress County, Tennessee, in 1887, Alvin Cullum York, today known as Sergeant York, became one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I, receiving the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, gathering 35 machine guns, killing at least 25 enemy soldiers, and capturing 132 prisoners — a mission that had high stakes of ending in total failure. However, these heroic acts that he’s now known for almost didn’t happen.

The third of William and Mary Brooks York’s eleven children, Alvin York grew up in rural poverty that continued into his early adulthood. With barely any schooling, York learned to survive through his sharp marksmanship and hunting skills that he honed within the mountainous countryside of Pall Mall, Tennessee (just north of Jamestown). Poverty and stress took a toll on York as a young adult, as he became known for poor money management and being a bit of a nuisance within the community.

But in 1914, York attended a meeting of the Church of Christ in Christian Union, a pivotal moment in which he decided to change his life and adopt the church’s strict moral code which forbade violence. York’s faith was put to the test when he was drafted in 1917. He, with the help of his pastor, tried to file for an exemption as a conscientious objector (someone who opposes military service due to moral or religious beliefs), but his appeal was denied three times because his church was not recognized as an official sect of Christianity.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

He later wrote, “It is a most awful thing when the wishes of your God and your country ... get mixed up and go against each other. One moment I would make up my mind to follow God, and the next I would hesitate and almost make up my mind to follow Uncle Sam. Then I wouldn't know which to follow or what to do. I wanted to follow both but I couldn't. They were opposite. I wanted to be a good Christian and a good American too."

Ultimately, Alvin York willingly obeyed the draft and joined the Army in 1917. Though plagued by homesickness, he endured and was eventually promoted to sergeant in November of 1918 after his exploit of capturing 132 prisoners was referred to as "the greatest thing accomplished by any private soldier of all the armies of Europe."

SERGEANT ALVIN C. YORK FUN FACTS!

ALVIN AND GRACIE YORK HAD SEVEN CHILDREN:

Alvin C. Junior, Edward Buxton, Woodrow Wilson, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Betsy Ross, and Mary Alice

HE WAS IMMORTALIZED BY THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE WITH A SGT. ALVIN C. YORK STAMP.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

During the Reagan administration, a new weapon was introduced — the DIVAD system, or SERGEANT YORK TANK.

In addition to Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute, YORK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is also named in his honor.

“SERGEANT YORK” became one of the highest-grossing films in the United States during World War II.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

The structure used by the Church of Christ in Christian Union in Pall Mall, where York worshiped, bears the name York Chapel.

THE YORK FARM WAS DESIGNATED A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK IN 1977.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

THE NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY IN JAMESTOWN, TN IS NAMED IN HIS HONOR.

ON THE EAST LAWN OF THE STATE CAPITOL IN NASHVILLE, A STATUE CELEBRATES HIM AS A TENNESSEAN AND WAR HERO.

Every year a commemorative MUZZLELOADER-SHOOTING CONTEST is held in York's name near his old home.

SERGEANT ALVIN C. YORK STATE HISTORIC PARK IN PALL MALL, TENNESSEE PAYS TRIBUTE TO HIM AND INCLUDES A VISITOR CENTER MODELED AFTER YORK’S GENERAL STORE, HIS TWO-STORY HOUSE, A GRIST MILL, THE YORK BIBLE SCHOOL, AND VARIOUS PICNIC FACILITIES.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the Veterans Hospital is named for York and contains a small exhibit in his honor, including a bronze portrait bust of the famed Tennessean.

State Highway 127, which runs in front of his Pall Mall, Tennessee home is named York Highway, and a bridge across the Wolf River in Pall Mall also bears his name.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

A Hero Comes Home

By May of 1919, Sgt. York arrived back home and married his hometown sweetheart Gracie. It wasn’t long, however, until his quiet life was interrupted by offers for thousands of dollars to commercialize his fame. In 1927, Alvin felt led by God to help his hometown people by improving education. So he asked for future donations or gifts that would have gone to him to instead go to the building of schools, and he helped finance this work by going on lectures. Sadly, his efforts led to increasing debt while his health began to fail. York had raised about $10,000 to create several small schools strategically placed in the mountainous areas of his home region until it was later decided that one school should be created, (an institution known then as the York Industrial Institute). In 1937, (in light of Alvin's failing health), he could not undertake such a great responsibility, so it was suggested that the school be state operated instead of privately. He also made efforts to build a Bible school, though it was never fully established.

More than twenty years after he returned home from France, Sgt. York signed with Warner Bros. to tell his life's story, in which he acted as advisor. Hollywood legend Gary Cooper was cast in the role of Sgt. York and his performance won his only Academy Award. The movie was released in 1941 and remains a film classic to date.

Alvin Cullum York died September 2, 1964, at the Veteran's Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He was buried in the place he loved most — near his home in Pall Mall, Tennessee. His legacy in combat and education lives on through the generations today. To learn more or contribute to efforts for keeping Sgt. Alvin C. York’s legacy alive, visit the Sgt. York Patriotic Foundation at www.sgtyork.org. n

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SERGEANT YORK PATRIOTIC FOUNDATION

Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute — the Legacy Lives On

Alvin York, when asked "How do you want to be remembered?," always replied, "For improving education in Tennessee." The school he founded, Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute, continues to educate children in Tennessee to this day as a public high school in Jamestown, Tennessee, founded as a private agricultural school in 1926 by Sgt. York and later transferred to the state of Tennessee in 1937, which continues to operate it as a public high school. It is the only comprehensive secondary school in the United States that is financed and operated by a state government.

ADAM YORK is the co-owner of Smith & York Co. and managing partner of Lime & Loaf in downtown Columbia, Tennessee. He’s also a distant relative of Sgt. York and a graduate of York Elementary and Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute. You can find books about Sgt. York’s life and legacy at Smith & York Co. or online at smithandyork.co.