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Alvin York
United States military hero
Quick Facts
- Born:
- Dec. 13, 1887, Pall Mall, Tenn., U.S.
- Died:
- Sept. 2, 1964, Nashville, Tenn. (aged 76)
- Awards And Honors:
- Medal of Honor (1941)
Alvin York (born Dec. 13, 1887, Pall Mall, Tenn., U.S.—died Sept. 2, 1964, Nashville, Tenn.) was a celebrated American hero of World War I, immortalized by the film version of his life story, Sergeant York (1941). A blacksmith from Cumberland Hill, Tenn., York was denied status as a conscientious objector and was drafted into the army during World War I. While serving in the 82nd Infantry Division at the Meuse-Argonne Offensive (October 1918), he was among a patrol of 17 men ordered to take out a German machine-gun emplacement that was checking his regiment’s advance. Behind enemy lines the patrol ...(100 of 252 words)