KK Covers

Alvin C. York FDC issued on May 3, 2000 (Washington, DC)

Born December 13, 1887, in Pall Mall, Tennessee, Alvin C. York grew up on a rural farm where he became an oustanding marksman with pistol and rifle. In the third grade, York left school to work for a blacksmith. A deeply religious man who was denied status as a conscientious objector, he was drafted into the US Army during World War I. Serving in Company G, 328th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Division. York fought in the Meuse-Argonne offensive in France in October, 1918. When his patrol was pinned down behind enemy lines by heavy rifle and machine gun fire, York aimed with deadly accuracy, killing 25 Germans. Capturing the machine gun nest single-handedly, York accepted the surrender of the remaining soldiers. Allied Commander in Chief Marshal Ferdinand Foch said York's action was "the greatest thing accomplished by any private soldier of all the armies of Europe". On November 1, 1918, York was promoted to sergeant. Later, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Medal of Honor - France and America's highest military decorations.