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World War I was almost over, and 30-year-old Sergeant Alvin York originally didn’t even want to fight in it for religious reasons, but then he did go, and killed a shit-ton of Germans, earning the Medal of Honor. Take that, God of nonviolence.
--On This Day in History Shit Went Down: October 8, 1918--
Raised poor in Tennessee, York was known as a drunken brawler, but in 1915 he had a religious experience and vowed to cease his sinful ways. Two years later the U.S. finally said fine I guess we’ll help defeat Germany and York registered for the draft as legally required. He claimed a religious exemption, writing “Don’t want to fight.” His conscientious objector status was denied, twice, and in 1918 he was off to Europe, handed a rifle, and told to go do some killing.
As a private he spent much time in conversation with his devoutly Christian company commander who said it was fine to kill for Jesus if the cause was just. He prayed on it and decided he was ready to shut up and soldier, and did he ever.
Through the summer of 1918 he saw a lot of action and was promoted to corporal. In the last great push of the war, York was part of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. On the morning of October 8, his company advanced into withering machine-gun fire. Many were killed or wounded in the first wave. York was part of the second wave, comprising 17 men, attempting to flank the machine-gun nest. The Germans weren’t having it and killed or wounded 10 men in a burst of fire. Of the remaining seven, six of them took cover, but York was all fuck this now I’m mad.
Skilled with a rifle, he picked off 18 Germans with 18 shots. “Every time one of them raised his head, I jes’ teched him off,” he later said. “I was shootin’ pretty good.” No shit. The Germans charged and he shot seven more with his pistol, bring the tally to 25 enemy killed; others say he got even more than that. Inspired by York, his fellow soldiers started to attack the German force with vigor.
The German commander, realizing he was facing the fucking Grim Reaper in an American uniform (actually he thought he was under attack by a much larger force), surrendered. York and his men took the Germans prisoner. As they marched them back to Allied territory, they took additional prisoners, totaling 132 in all. York got a promotion to sergeant, a shit-ton of medals, and a movie made about him.
Some later claimed the story of York’s heroics were exaggerated.
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