Sgt. York — A True American Hero

Sgt. York — A True American Hero

A Times Special Feature

I’ve always loved the 4th of July.

Growing up we always had a cook out at our house with family and friends, and of course, firework, which I still love to set off.

Patriotism may be out of favor today, but I still love seeing houses and businesses decorated with red, white, and blue bunting, and flying the Stars and Stripes.

But I’m afraid, like many holidays that we celebrate today, that we as a culture are losing the true meaning of them.

Sure, I love the parades and fireworks and those things have always gone hand-in-hand with the 4th of July.

But take Thanksgiving, for example. When we get done eating turkey what do we do? We watch football and then run to the mall to take advantage of Black Friday deals on things we probably won’t even remember we got in six months.

Same with the 4th of July and Memorial Day. What do we see? Ads for new and used cars like we’re supposed to run out and do our patriotic duty and buy a car or go shopping.

I’m worried today that kids — and many adults — don’t know why we celebrate July 4th.

Something about Independence Day, right? You know, that movie about when aliens blew up the White House and Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum saved the world.

Actually, some old, dead white dudes got together and signed some kind of piece of paper or something.

It was the Declaration of Independence which, next to the Constitution, is a pretty important piece of paper.

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress — those old dead, white dudes again from all thirteen colonies — approved the Declaration of Independence, which forever severed our ties with mother England and made us a new nation.

Surprisingly, 4th of July didn’t become a legal holiday until 1941.

But actually, Americans have been celebrating that date since the Declaration’s first anniversary when citizens of Philadelphia held a spontaneous celebration to commemorate the day.

It wasn’t until after the War of 1812 though that observing Independence Day became commonplace.

And they celebrated it much like we do today — with barbecues, parades featuring patriotic music like John Philip Sousa’s march “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” speeches, military events, and fireworks.

Many famous public events were also held on July 4 to coincide with the holiday.

Did you know that the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Erie Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad both took place on July 4?

I was reminded of what real patriotism is this past weekend when I stopped and visited the home of Alvin C. York in Pall Mall, Tenn.

Many of you might not know that name. But at one time, Alvin York was one of America’s most celebrated heroes.

York was a soft-spoken farmer who was born in a one-room log cabin not far from the Kentucky state line, where the Wolf River flows off the Cumberland Plateau.

It’s about as isolated and removed from the cares of this world as you can get.

When the United States entered World War 1 in 1917, York, a devout Christian, tried to avoid serving in the Army because of his religious beliefs, but was drafted anyway.

After denying his petition for conscientious objector status, York is said to have spent two days praying on top of a cliff overlooking the Wolf Valley before being shipped off to Europe to fight.

As it turns out, York was a crack shot as a marksman.

In an attack during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France on October 18, 1918, York’s unit was pinned down by deadly machine gun fire.

Seeing his fellow soldiers being gunned down, York, armed with only a 1903 Springfield rifle and a Colt .45 pistol, managed to get around the Germans on his own and took out two enemy machine guns, picking them off one at a time. When seven Germans charged him, he stood his ground and shot them, too. When it was all over, York had single-handedly killed 25 Germans and helped capture 132 more who surrendered to him.

York became a national hero and received the Medal of Honor and French Legion of Honor and Criox de Guerre for his valor.

When the humble York returned to America, he was lavished with ticker-tape parades and feted by Generals, governors, senators, and even the secretary to President Woodrow Wilson.

He was offered lucrative offers to cash in on his fame, which could have made him a millionaire. But York refused them all because “Uncle Sam’s uniform is not for sale.”

Instead, he returned to his home in rural Pall Mall where he focused on his family, faith, and the community.

He didn’t much talk about what he had done in the war, except on special occasions when he made speeches for worthy causes. Tennessee built Sgt. York a white, two-story, five bedroom house for him and his wife, Gracie, as a token of their appreciation.

The Yorks had ten children and entertained guests and lived out their days in Pall Mall where they operated a general store.

In 1941, Hollywood made a movie about York with Gary Cooper in the title role.

York used his share of the money from the film to start a Bible school in his hometown, and to establish a high school, the Alvin C. York Institute in nearby Jamestown.

Today, you can visit the home, general store, and the family grist mill which is now a part of the Alvin C. York State Historic Park. One of York’s sons, Andrew, and a daughter-inlaw, Margaret, and a nephew, Cletis York, give free guided tours of the house and keep the legacy and inspirational story of Alvin York alive.

So maybe when you are watching the fireworks this year you might want to take a few minutes to think about our Founding Fathers and men like Alvin York who fought to keep this country free and independent.

Sgt. Alvin York

By Mark Randall