A special commemoration event on the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Tennessee's Sergeant Alvin C. York will be Monday, Labor Day, September 1, 2014, at 5:00pm CDT in Nashville. The program will be held on the Tennessee State Capitol grounds.
“God would never be cruel enough to create a cyclone as terrible as that Argonne battle. Only man would ever think of doing an awful thing like that . . . And I’m telling you the little log cabin in Wolf Valley in old Tennessee seemed a long, long way off.”
With those words, Sergeant Alvin C.
York recalled the intensity of the October 1918 battle that defined him for generations of Tennesseans as the most highly decorated American solider of World War I, earning the Congressional Medal of Honor among numerous other awards. In those moments of battle, York of Fentress County, a self-proclaimed reluctant soldier, demonstrated extraordinary valor and strength of leadership in the defense of his men and their position. Arriving back in the United States after the war’s end, Sgt. York was hailed as a hero and greeted by New York City with a ticker tape parade.
York returned to his beloved Tennessee hills and farming, married his church sweetheart, had a family and campaigned tirelessly for increased educational opportunities for the young people of the Upper Cumberland region. He became one of the most recognizable Tennesseans although he was reluctant to capitalize on his service record for anything other than the fight for education equality.
Sgt. York died in 1964 and was buried among his family and friends in Pall Mall, Tennessee.
For more information about the memorial service, contact Chief John Ross Chapter, TSDAR at lsmines@gps.edu