He was just a country boy from Eastern Tennessee.
Sure, Alvin York was a terrific shot--all of the people who lived in those mountains were. It meant the difference between meat on the table and none. And sure, he registered for the draft, as the law required. But when the U.S. joined World War I, he was troubled. A deeply religious young man, he attempted to register for Conscientious Objector status due to the Biblical proscription against killing ... but was declined. Go to war he would. If this sounds like a very unlikely beginning to a tale of heroism, that's because you don't know Sgt. Alvin York, or what he did once he got "Over There." In fact, Alvin York's actions in the Argonne Forest may in fact define what heroism is.
In this terrific video from our friends at American Rifleman TV, you'll thrill to the story of a man whose heart, will and skill set the high-water mark for American riflemen over a century ago.
