Alvin C. York

Alvin C. York is my hero because of his allegiance and honorable character. Born in Pall Mall, Tennessee, York lived a typical life for a small town farmer and grew up firmly founded in the Christian faith. He and his family attended a small church and were good friends with the preacher. When his father died in 1911, he became filled with anger towards God. As a result, he left his faith, and began to drink and gamble to cover up the anger in his heart. In 1915 his life was once again changed when he attended a religious revival meeting. He was saved, returned to his faith, and obtained peace about his father’s death.

York was living a godly life as a small town farmer once again, but that was all to change soon. In the early 1910s, World War I broke out. After York was drafted he filed as a conscientious objector on the grounds of his faith in God, but the attempt to stay out of the war failed. After days of Bible study, York concluded that God wanted him to fight. The Bible backed up a well-provoked war. He would give it his best shot. Alvin and his battalion would be involved in their first battle in December of 1918 with the objective of cutting off German supplies. Remembering the moment his squad came under fire, York humbly recalled "All I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could." By "touching the Germans off" York saved the rest of his battalion and captured 132 Germans, earning him the Medal of Honor.

Alvin York embodies the struggle of every Christian today. When faced with a hardship, York became angry at God and left his faith but, with time and spiritual revival, York returned to his faith. He was faced with another hard choice when the army came calling. Although made to serve, he talked with God about it and decided to serve his country to the best of his ability. His life experiences served him well, enabling him to save many American lives and capture over 100 Germans--a feat certainly deserving of the title "Heroic."