View source for Alvin York

{{short description|American soldier (1887–1964)}}
{{redirect|Sergeant York}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox military person
| name             = Alvin York
| image            = Alvin C. York 1919.jpg
| caption          = York in uniform, 1919, wearing the [[Medal of Honor]] and [[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|French Croix de Guerre]] with Palm
| birth_name       = Alvin York
| nickname         = "Sergeant York"
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1887|12|13}}
| birth_place      = [[Fentress County, Tennessee]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|1964|9|2|1887|12|13}}
| death_place      = [[Nashville, Tennessee]], U.S.
| placeofburial    = Wolf River Cemetery, {{awrap|[[Pall Mall, Tennessee]]}}
| placeofburial_coordinates = {{awrap|{{coord|36|32|50.2|N|84|57|14.8|W|region:US-TN_type:landmark|display=inline}}}}
| allegiance       = United States
| branch           = <!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add the Army flag adopted by the U.S. government in 1956 (11 years after York's final discharge from active duty) as it would be historically inaccurate. Please also see MOS:INFOBOXFLAG Thank you. -->{{Unbulleted list|[[United States Army]]|[[Tennessee State Guard]]}}
| serviceyears     = {{Unbulleted list|1917–1919 (active)|1942–1945 (honorary)|1941–1947 {{Nowrap|(State Guard)}}}}
| rank             = {{Unbulleted list|[[Sergeant]] (active)|[[Major (United States)|Major]] ([[Title of honor|honorary]])|[[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] (State Guard)}}
| servicenumber    = 1910421
| commands         = 7th Regiment, Tennessee State Guard (1941–1947)
| unit             = {{Unbulleted list|Company G, [[328th Infantry Regiment (United States)|328th Infantry]], [[82nd Airborne Division|82nd&nbsp;Division]] (1917–1919)|[[U.S. Army Signal Corps]] (1942–1945)}}<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add the names of York's battalion or brigade (the 164th Infantry Brigade) as it was not typical to do so at the time and is not mentioned in the Medal of Honor citation). Thank you. -->
| battles          = {{tree list}}
* World War I
** [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel]]
** [[Meuse–Argonne offensive]]
** [[Western Front (World War I)|Defensive Sector]]
* World War II
** [[American Theater (World War II)|American Theater]]
{{tree list/end}}
| awards           = {{Unbulleted list|[[Medal of Honor]]|<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add York's Distinguished Service Cross Medal to this list of awards since, when it was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, he was at that point no longer authorized to wear it. Thank you. -->|[[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)]] with Palm (France)|{{see below|{{slink||Awards}}}}}}
| spouse           = {{marriage|Gracie Loretta Williams|1919}}
| children         = 10
| laterwork        = Superintendent of the [[Cumberland Mountain State Park]]
| website          = {{URL|sgtyork.org}}
}}
'''Alvin Cullum York''' (December 13, 1887&nbsp;– September 2, 1964), also known by his rank as '''Sergeant York''',  was an American soldier who was one of the most decorated  [[United States Army]] soldiers of [[World War I]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s65pmBAUmD4C&pg=PA98 |title=Medal of Honor: Historical Facts & Figures |last=Owens |first=Ron |date=2004 |publisher=Turner Publishing Company |access-date=October 14, 2019 |quote=Exclusive of the five Marines who earned double awards of the Medal, Lt. [[Samuel I. Parker|Samuel Parker]] was the most highly decorated soldier of WWI. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014123426/https://books.google.com/books?id=s65pmBAUmD4C&pg=PA98& |archive-date=October 14, 2019 |url-status=live|isbn=9781563119958 }}</ref> He received the [[Medal of Honor]] for leading an attack on a [[Imperial German Army|German]] [[machine gun nest]], gathering 35 machine guns, killing at least 25<ref name=nytobit /> enemy soldiers, and capturing 132 prisoners. York's Medal of Honor action occurred during the United States-led portion of the [[Meuse–Argonne offensive]] in [[Western Front (World War I)|France]], which was intended to breach the [[Hindenburg line]] and force the Germans to surrender. He earned decorations from several Allied countries during the war, including France, [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]], and [[Kingdom of Montenegro|Montenegro]].

York was born in rural [[Tennessee]], in what is now the community of [[Pall Mall, Tennessee|Pall Mall]] in [[Fentress County, Tennessee|Fentress County]]. His parents farmed, and his father also worked as a [[blacksmith]]. The 11 York children had minimal schooling because they helped provide for the family, including hunting, fishing, and working as laborers. After the death of his father, York assisted in caring for his younger siblings and found work as a blacksmith. Despite being a regular churchgoer, York also drank heavily and was prone to fistfights. After a 1914 conversion experience, he vowed to improve and became even more devoted to the [[Church of Christ in Christian Union]].  York was drafted during World War I; he initially claimed [[conscientious objector]] status on the grounds that his religious denomination forbade violence. Persuaded that his religion was not incompatible with military service, York joined the [[82nd Airborne Division (United States)|82nd Division]] as an infantry private and went to France in 1918.

In October 1918, [[Private First Class]] (Acting Corporal) York was one of a group of 17 soldiers assigned to infiltrate German lines and silence a machine gun position. After the American patrol had captured a large group of enemy soldiers, German small arms fire killed six Americans and wounded three. Several of the Americans returned fire, while others guarded the prisoners. York and the other Americans attacked the machine gun position, killing several German soldiers.<ref name="Gregory 39–43">{{Cite journal|last=Gregory|first=James|date=Summer 2020|title=Forgotten Soldiers: The Other 16 at Chatel-Chehery|url=https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2020/|journal=Infantry Magazine|volume=109|pages=39–43}}</ref> The German officer responsible for the machine gun position had emptied his pistol while firing at York, but failed to hit him. This officer then offered to surrender and York accepted. York and his men marched back to their unit's command post with more than 130 prisoners. York was later promoted to sergeant and was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]]. An investigation resulted in the upgrading of the award to the Medal of Honor. York's feat made him a national hero and international celebrity among Allied nations.

After [[Armistice Day]], a group of Tennessee businessmen purchased a farm for York, his new wife, and their growing family. He later formed a charitable foundation to improve educational opportunities for children in rural Tennessee. In the 1930s and 1940s, York worked as a project superintendent for the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] and managed construction of the Byrd Lake Reservoir at [[Cumberland Mountain State Park]], after which he served for several years as park superintendent. A 1941 film about his World War I exploits, ''[[Sergeant York (film)|Sergeant York]]'', was that year's highest-grossing film; [[Gary Cooper]] won the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his portrayal of York, and the film was credited with enhancing American morale as the U.S. mobilized for action in World War II. In his later years, York was confined to bed by health problems. He died in [[Nashville, Tennessee]], in 1964, and was buried at Wolf River Cemetery in his hometown of Pall Mall, Tennessee.

==Early life ==
Alvin Cullum York was born in a two-room [[log cabin]] in Fentress County, Tennessee.<ref name="tradition">[http://www.worldwar1.com/heritage/sgtayork.htm Legends and Traditions of the Great War: Sergeant Alvin York] by Dr. Michael Birdwell.</ref> He was the third child born to William Uriah York and Mary Elizabeth (Brooks) York. William Uriah York was born in [[Jamestown, Tennessee]], to Uriah York and Eliza Jane Livingston, who had moved to Tennessee from [[Buncombe County, North Carolina]].<ref name="laughter" /> Mary Elizabeth York was born in Pall Mall to William Brooks, who took his mother's maiden name as an alias of William H. Harrington after deserting from Company A of the 11th Michigan Cavalry Regiment during the [[American Civil War]], and Nancy Pyle, and was the great-granddaughter of Conrad "Coonrod" Pyle, an English settler who settled Pall Mall, Tennessee.

William York and Mary Brooks married on December 25, 1881, and had 11 children: Henry Singleton, Joseph Marion, Alvin Cullum, Samuel John, Albert, Hattie, George Alexander, James Preston, Lillian Mae, Robert Daniel, and Lucy Erma.<ref name="laughter">Laughter & Lawter Genealogy: [http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/alvinyork.html Gladys Williams, "Alvin C. York"], accessed September 20, 2010 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061021060444/http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/alvinyork.html |date=October 21, 2006 }}</ref> The York family is mainly of [[English American|English]] ancestry, with [[Scotch-Irish American|Scots-Irish]] ancestry as well.<ref>Sergeant York and His People By Sam Kinkade Cowan page 85</ref><ref name=yorkindian>[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~allyorks/yorind.htm York Indian Heritage] at ancestry.com</ref> The family resided in the Indian Creek area of Fentress County.<ref name="laughter" /> The family was impoverished, with William York working as a [[blacksmith]] to supplement the family's income. The men of the York family farmed and harvested their own food, while the mother made all of the family's clothing.<ref name="laughter" /> The York sons attended school for only nine months<ref name="tradition" /> and withdrew from education because William York needed them to help work on the family farm, hunt, and fish to help feed the family.<ref name="laughter" /> When William York died in November 1911, his son Alvin helped his mother raise his younger siblings.<ref name="laughter" /> Alvin was the oldest sibling still residing in the county, since his two older brothers had married and relocated. To supplement the family's income, York worked in [[Harriman, Tennessee]],<ref name="tradition" /> first in railroad construction and then as a logger. By all accounts, he was a skilled laborer who was devoted to the welfare of his family, and a crack shot. York was also a violent [[alcoholic]] prone to fighting in [[bar (establishment)|saloons]]. In one of the saloon fights, his best friend was killed.<ref name="tradition" /> His mother, a member of a [[pacifist]] [[Protestant]] denomination, tried to persuade York to change his ways.{{sfn|''Alvin York: A New Biography''|pp=16–17}}

==World War I==
[[File:Conscientious Objector Claim of Appeal for Alvin Cullum York.png|thumb|Conscientious Objector Claim of Appeal for Alvin Cullum York (1917)]]
Despite his history of drinking and fighting, York attended church regularly and often led the hymn singing. A [[revival meeting]] at the end of 1914 led him to a conversion experience on January 1, 1915. His congregation was the [[Churches of Christ in Christian Union|Church of Christ in Christian Union]], a Protestant denomination that shunned secular politics and disputes between Christian denominations.<ref>Lee, 1985, 9–13</ref> This church had no specific doctrine of [[pacifism]], but it had been formed in reaction to the [[Methodist Episcopal Church, South]]'s support of slavery, including armed conflict during the [[American Civil War]], and it opposed all forms of violence.<ref>Lee, 1985, 15–6</ref> In a lecture later in life, York reported his reaction to the outbreak of World War I: "I was worried clean through. I didn't want to go and kill because I believed in my [[Bible]]."<ref name= Capozzola67>Capozzola, 2008, p. 67</ref>

On June 5, 1917, at the age of 29, Alvin York registered for the draft, as all men between 21 and 30 years of age were required to do as a result of the [[Selective Service Act of 1917|Selective Service Act]]. When he registered for the draft, he answered the question "Do you claim exemption from draft (specify grounds)?" by writing "Yes. Don't Want To Fight."<ref name= Capozzola68>Capozzola, 2008, p. 68, includes a photograph of York's Registration Card from the National Archives</ref> When his initial claim for [[conscientious objector]] status was denied, he appealed.<ref>[[:File:Conscientious Objector Claim of Appeal for Alvin Cullum York.gif|"Claim of Appeal for Conscientious Objector Status by Alvin Cullum York"]]</ref> During World War I, conscientious objector status did not exempt the objector from military duty. Such individuals could still be drafted and were given assignments that did not conflict with their antiwar principles. In November 1917, while York's application was considered, he was drafted and began his army service at [[Camp Gordon (World War I)|Camp Gordon]], Georgia.<ref name = "Capozzola67-9">Capozzola, 2008, pp. 67–9</ref>

From the day he registered for the draft until he returned from the war on May 29, 1919, York kept a diary of his activities. In his diary, York wrote that he refused to sign documents provided by his pastor seeking a discharge from the Army on religious grounds and similar documents provided by his mother asserting a claim of exemption as the sole support of his mother and siblings. Despite his initial, signed request for an exemption, he later disclaimed ever having been a conscientious objector.<ref>Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation: [http://www.sgtyork.org/sgtyorkdiary.html "Sgt. Alvin C. York's Diary: November 17, 1917"] {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101127225820/http://sgtyork.org/sgtyorkdiary.html |date=November 27, 2010}}, accessed September 21, 2010</ref>

===Entry into service===
York served in Company G, [[328th Infantry Regiment (United States)|328th Infantry]], [[82nd Airborne Division|82nd Division]]<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add the names of York's battalion or brigade (the 164th Infantry Brigade) as it was not typical to do so at the time and is not mentioned in the Medal of Honor citation). Thank you. -->. Deeply troubled by the conflict between his pacifism and his training for war, he spoke at length with his [[company commander]], Captain Edward Courtney Bullock Danforth Jr. (1894–1974) of [[Augusta, Georgia]], and his [[battalion commander]], Major [[G. Edward Buxton Jr.|G. Edward Buxton]] of [[Providence, Rhode Island]], a devout Christian himself. Biblical passages about violence ("He that hath no sword, let him sell his cloak and buy one." "Render unto Caesar…" "…if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight.") cited by Danforth persuaded York to reconsider the morality of his participation in the war. Granted a 10-day leave to visit home, he returned as committed to his new mission as he had been to pacifism, convinced that God meant him to fight and would keep him safe.<ref name="Capozzola67-9" /><ref>Lee, 1985, 18–20</ref> He served with his division in the [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel|St. Mihiel Offensive]].

===Medal of Honor action===
[[File:Hill 223, Meuse-Argonne Offensive.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.40|328th Infantry Regiment line of advance in capture of Hill 223, October 7, 1918, [[82nd Airborne Division|82nd Division]], [[Forest of Argonne|Argonne Forest]], [[France]]. (World War I Signal Corps Collection)]]
In an October 8, 1918, attack that occurred during the [[Meuse–Argonne offensive]], York's battalion aimed to capture German positions near Hill 223 ({{coord|49.28558|4.95242|type:landmark_region:FR|display= inline}}) along the [[Decauville]] railroad north of [[Chatel-Chéhéry]], [[France]]. His actions that day earned him the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref>The events of the day are recounted in brief in ''Official History of the 82nd Division: American Expeditionary Forces, "All American" Division, 1917–1919'' (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1919), 60–62; [https://archive.org/details/officialhistory01divigoog/page/n84 <!-- pg=60 --> available online], accessed September 20, 2010</ref> He later recalled:
{{blockquote|The Germans got us, and they got us right smart. They just stopped us dead in our tracks. Their machine guns were up there on the heights overlooking us and well hidden, and we couldn't tell for certain where the terrible heavy fire was coming from…  And I'm telling you they were shooting straight. Our boys just went down like the long grass before the mowing machine at home. Our attack just faded out…  And there we were, lying down, about halfway across [the valley] and those German machine guns and big shells getting us hard.<ref>York 1930.</ref>}}

Under the command of Cpl. (Acting Sergeant) Bernard Early, four noncommissioned officers, including Acting Corporal York,<ref>Lee, 1985, 25–6</ref> and 13 privates were ordered to infiltrate the German lines to take out the machine guns. The group worked their way behind the Germans and overran the headquarters of a German unit, capturing a large group of German soldiers who were preparing a counterattack against the U.S. troops. Early's men were contending with the prisoners when German machine gun fire suddenly peppered the area, killing six Americans and wounding three others. Several of the Americans returned fire, while others guarded the prisoners. From his advantageous position, York fought the Germans.<ref name="Gregory 39–43"/> York recalled:
{{blockquote|And those machine guns were spitting fire and cutting down the undergrowth all around me something awful. And the Germans were yelling orders. You never heard such a racket in all of your life. I didn't have time to dodge behind a tree or dive into the brush…  As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me, I began to exchange shots with them. There were over 30 of them in continuous action, and all I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could. I was sharp shooting…  All the time, I kept yelling at them to come down. I didn't want to kill any more than I had to. But it was they or I. And I was giving them the best I had.<ref>Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation: [http://www.sgtyork.org/sgtyorkdiary.html "Sgt. Alvin C. York's Diary: October 8, 1918"] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101127225820/http://sgtyork.org/sgtyorkdiary.html |date=November 27, 2010 }}, accessed September 21, 2010</ref>}}

[[File:Alvin C York Painting.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.40|''Sergeant Alvin C. York'' by [[Frank Schoonover]], 1919|alt=Sgt. Alvin C. York, 327th Inf., 82nd Div., Attack made from Hill 223 – N. of Chatel-Chéhéry, Argonne Forest, near Corny, Ardennes, France, October 8, 1918.]]
During the assault, a German officer led several Germans to the scene of the fighting and ran into York, who shot several of them with his pistol.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Buxton|first=G. Edward|title=Official History of 82nd Division American Expeditionary Forces|publisher=The Bobbs-Merrill Company|year=1919|pages=58–62}}</ref>

Imperial German Army First Lieutenant Paul Jürgen Vollmer, commanding the 120th Reserve Infantry Regiment's 1st Battalion, emptied his pistol trying to kill York, while he was contending with the machine guns. Failing to injure York, and seeing his mounting losses, he offered in English to surrender the unit to York, who accepted.<ref>Lee, 1985, 32–6</ref> At the end of the engagement, York and his seven men marched their German prisoners back to the American lines. Upon returning to his unit, York reported to his brigade commander, Brigadier General [[Julian Robert Lindsey]], who remarked, "Well York, I hear you have captured the whole German army." York replied, "No sir. I got only 132."

York's actions silenced the German machine guns and were responsible for enabling the 328th Infantry to renew its attack to capture the Decauville Railroad.<ref name=Mastriano>Mastriano, Douglas, Colonel, U.S. Army ''Brave Hearts under Red Skies''and Douglas Mastriano: [http://www.sgtyork.org/meuseargonne.html "A Day for Heroes"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221033022/http://sgtyork.org/meuseargonne.html |date=December 21, 2010 }}, accessed September 21, 2010</ref>

===Post-battle===
[[File:Alvin C. York shows hill on which raid took place HD-SN-99-02157.JPEG|thumb|right|upright=1.40|Sergeant Alvin C. York at the hill where his actions earned him the [[Medal of Honor]] (February 7, 1919)]]
York was promptly promoted to sergeant and received the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United States)|Distinguished Service Cross]]. A few months later, an investigation by York's chain of command resulted in an upgrade of his Distinguished Service Cross to the [[Medal of Honor]], which was presented by the commanding general of the [[American Expeditionary Forces]], [[John J. Pershing|General John J. Pershing]]. The [[France|French Republic]] awarded him the {{lang|fr|[[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre]]}}, [[Medaille Militaire]], and [[Legion of Honour|Legion of Honor]].

In addition to his French medals, Italy awarded York the [[War Merit Cross (Italy)|Croce al Merito di Guerra]] and Montenegro decorated him with its [[Order of Prince Danilo I|War Medal]].<ref name=nytobit>''New York Times'': [https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/03/archives/sergeant-york-war-hero-dies-killed-25-germans-and-captured-132-in.html Sergeant York, War Hero, Dies", September 3, 1964], accessed September 20, 2010</ref><ref>Lee, 1985, 39</ref> He eventually received nearly 50 decorations.<ref name=nytobit />
York's Medal of Honor citation reads:<ref name=ACMH>{{cite web |access-date=August 29, 2010 |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/worldwari.html |title=York, Alvin C. (Medal of Honor citation) |work=Medal of Honor recipients&nbsp;— World War I |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |date=June 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901074542/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/worldwari.html |archive-date=September 1, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{blockquote|After his platoon suffered heavy casualties and three other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading seven men, he charged with great daring a machine gun nest which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat, the machine gun nest was taken, together with four officers and 128 men and several guns.}}

In attempting to explain his actions during the 1919 investigation that resulted in the Medal of Honor, York told General Lindsey, "A higher power than man guided and watched over me and told me what to do." Lindsey replied, "York, you are right."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sgtyorkdiscovery.com/The_York_Story.php |title=Trust Amidst Doubt and Adversity |first=Douglas |last=Mastriano |website=The Sergeant York Discovery Expedition |access-date= January 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130106081212/http://sgtyorkdiscovery.com/The_York_Story.php |archive-date=January 6, 2013}}</ref>

Biographer David D. Lee (2000) wrote:
{{blockquote|Initially, York's exploit attracted little public attention, but on 26 April 1919, ''Saturday Evening Post'' correspondent George Pattullo published "The Second Elder Gives Battle", an account of the firefight that made York a national hero overnight. York's explanation that God had been with him during the fight meshed neatly with the popular attitude that American involvement in the war was truly a holy crusade, and he returned to the United States in the spring of 1919 amid a tumultuous public welcome and a flood of business offers from people eager to capitalize on the soldier's reputation.<ref name= "Lee, 2000">Lee, ''American National Biography'' (2000)</ref>}}

==Homecoming and fame==
Before leaving France, York was his division's noncommissioned officer delegate to the caucus, which created the [[American Legion]], of which York was a charter member.<ref>{{cite book |last=Perry |first=John |date=2010 |title=Sergeant York |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2JYVW7LMq0MC&q=%22alvin%20york%22%20%22american%20legion%22%20%22charter%20member%22&pg=PA58 |location=Nashville, TN |publisher=Thomas Nelson, Inc. |page=58 |isbn=978-1-59555-025-5}}</ref>

[[File:Alvin York returns home 1919.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. Army Sergeant Alvin C. York after his return to his Tennessee home: His mother is pouring water into the basin, and his younger sister is standing on the cabin's back porch. York turned down many lucrative offers, including one worth $30,000 ({{Inflation|US|30000|1919|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) to appear in vaudeville, to return to the life he had known before the war.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/c/c6/20141220203350!Alvin_York_returns_home_1919.jpg |title=Be It Ever So Humble |date=June 7, 1919 |publisher=Underwood & Underwood |access-date=December 20, 2014}}</ref>]]
York's heroism went unnoticed in the United States press, even in Tennessee, until the publication of the April 26, 1919, issue of the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'', which had a circulation in excess of 2 million. In an article titled "The Second Elder Gives Battle", journalist [[George Pattullo (writer)|George Pattullo]], who had learned of York's story while touring battlefields earlier in the year, laid out the themes that have dominated York's story ever since - the Tennessee [[mountain man]]; his religious faith and skill with firearms; patriotic, plainspoken and unsophisticated; an uneducated man who "seems to do everything correctly by intuition."<ref>Lee, 1985, 53–5</ref> In response, the Tennessee Society, a group of Tennesseans living in New York City, arranged celebrations to greet York upon his return to the United States, including a five-day furlough to allow for visits to New York City and Washington, DC. York arrived in [[Hoboken, New Jersey]], on May 22, stayed at the [[Waldorf-Astoria Hotel|Waldorf Astoria]], and attended a formal banquet in his honor. He toured the subway system in a special car before continuing to Washington, where the House of Representatives gave him a standing ovation and he met Secretary of War [[Newton D. Baker]] and the President's secretary [[Joseph Patrick Tumulty|Joe Tumulty]], as President [[Woodrow Wilson|Wilson]] was still in Paris.<ref>Lee, 185, 58–60</ref>

York proceeded to [[Fort Oglethorpe (Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia)|Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia]], where he was discharged from the service, and then to Tennessee for more celebrations. He had been home for barely a week, when on June 7, 1919, York and Gracie Loretta Williams were married by Tennessee Governor [[Albert H. Roberts]] in Pall Mall. More celebrations followed the wedding, including a week-long trip to Nashville, where York accepted a special medal awarded by the state.<ref>Lee, 185, 60–62</ref>

York refused many offers to profit from his fame, including thousands of dollars offered for appearances, product endorsements, newspaper articles, and movie rights to his life story. Instead, he lent his name to various charitable and civic causes.<ref>Lee, 1985, 62–4</ref> To support economic development, he campaigned for the Tennessee government to build a road to service his native region, succeeding when a highway through the mountains was completed in the mid-1920s and named Alvin C. York Highway.<ref>Lee, 1985, 63–4, 74–5</ref> The Nashville [[Rotary International|Rotary]] organized the purchase, by public subscription, of a {{convert|400|acre|km2|adj=on}} farm, the one gift that York accepted, but it was not the fully equipped farm he was promised, requiring York to borrow money to stock it. He subsequently lost money in the farming depression that followed the war. Then, the Rotary was unable to continue the installment payments on the property, leaving York to pay them himself. In 1921, he had no option but to seek public help, resulting in an extended discussion of his finances in the press, some of it sharply critical. Debt in itself was a trial: "I could get used to most any kind of hardship, but I'm not fitted for the hardship of owing money." Only an appeal to Rotary Clubs nationwide and an account of York's plight in the ''New York World'' brought in the required contributions by Christmas 1921.<ref>Lee, 1985, 64, 71–4, quote 73; {{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1921/07/21/archives/hero-york-harassed-cant-make-farm-pay-sergeant-who-got-128-germans.html |title=Hero York Harassed, Can't Make Farm Pay |date=July 21, 1921 |newspaper=New York Times |access-date=September 13, 2010}}</ref>

==After the war==
In the 1920s, York formed the Alvin C. York Foundation with the mission of increasing educational opportunities in his region of Tennessee. Board members included the area's congressman, [[Cordell Hull]], who later became secretary of state under President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], Secretary of the Treasury [[William Gibbs McAdoo|William G. McAdoo]], who was [[Woodrow Wilson|President Wilson]]'s son-in-law, and Tennessee Governor [[Albert H. Roberts|Albert Roberts]]. Plans called for a nonsectarian institution providing vocational training to be called the [[Alvin C. York Institute|York Agricultural Institute]]. York concentrated on fund-raising, though he disappointed audiences who wanted to hear about the Argonne when he instead explained, "I occupied one space in a 50-mile front. I saw so little it hardly seems worthwhile discussing it. I'm trying to forget the war in the interest of the mountain boys and girls that I grew up among."<ref>Lee, 1985, 76</ref> He fought first to win financial support from the state and county, then battled local leaders about the school's location. Refusing to compromise, he resigned and developed plans for a rival York Industrial School. After a series of lawsuits, he gained control of the original institution and was its president when it opened in December 1929. As the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]] deepened, the state government failed to provide promised funds, and York mortgaged his farm to fund bus transportation for students. Even after he was ousted as president in 1936 by political and bureaucratic rivals, he continued to donate money.<ref>Lee, 1985, 75–90. On the political context of the disputes about school funding, see David D. Lee, ''Tennessee in Turmoil: Politics in the Volunteer State, 1920–1932'' (Memphis State University Press, 1979) {{ISBN|0-87870-048-X}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,756113,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215082904/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,756113,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 15, 2008 |title=Education: Fentress Feud, May 25, 1936 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=May 25, 1936 |access-date=September 20, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Alvin C. York postwar 2.JPG|thumb|Alvin C. York after World War I]]
In 1935, York, sensing the end of his time with the institute, began to work as a project superintendent with the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] overseeing the creation of [[Cumberland Mountain State Park]]'s Byrd Lake, one of the largest masonry projects the program ever undertook.<ref>{{YouTube|id=J2xzLO_Zntg|title=Cumberland Mountain State Park: A Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy}}</ref> York served as the park's superintendent until 1940.<ref>{{cite book |last=Van West |first=Carroll |date=2001 |title=Tennessee's New Deal Landscape: A Guidebook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wcnl3roLG0AC&q=alvin%20york%20superintendent%20%22cumberland%22%20%22state%20park%22&pg=PA166 |location=Knoxville, TN |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |page=166 |isbn=978-1-57233-107-5}}</ref> In the second half of the 1930s and early 1940s, in the run-up to the America's entry in World War II, York was a forceful and public advocate for [[Interventionism (politics)|interventionism]], calling for U.S. involvement in the war against Germany, Italy, and Japan.<ref name=Mastriano176>Mastriano, pp. 176–177.</ref> At the time, U.S. public opinion was overwhelmingly in favor of the isolationist and noninterventionist approach, and York's unpopular views led to accusations that he was engaged in warmongering. York became a relatively rare, high-profile, public voice for intervention. In a speech at the [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington)|Tomb of the Unknown Soldier]] in May 1941, York said: "We must fight again! The time is not now ripe, nor will it ever be, to compromise with Hitler, or the things he stands for."<ref name=Mastriano176/>

York's speeches attracted the attention of President Roosevelt, who frequently quoted York, particularly a passage from York's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier speech:

{{blockquote|By our victory in the last war, we won a lease on liberty, not a deed to it. Now after 23 years, Adolf Hitler tells us that lease is expiring, and after the manner of all leases, we have the privilege of renewing it, or letting it go by default&nbsp;...&nbsp;. We are standing at the crossroads of history. The important capitals of the world in a few years will either be Berlin and Moscow, or Washington and London. I, for one, prefer Congress and Parliament to Hitler's Reichstag and Stalin's Kremlin. And because we were for a time, side by side, I know this Unknown Soldier does too. We owe it to him to renew that lease of liberty he helped us to get.<ref name=Mastriano176/>}}

During World War II, York attempted to re-enlist in the Army.<ref name="David E. Lee 1985">David E. Lee, Sergeant York: An American Hero (Lexington, 1985). {{ISBN|0-8131-1517-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Sergeant York Signs Up Again |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CVAEAAAAMBAJ&q=Sergeant%20York%20Signs%20Up%20Again&pg=PA26
 |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |date=May 11, 1942|volume=12|page=26+ |access-date=November 17, 2017 }}</ref>
However, at 54 years of age, overweight,<ref name="David E. Lee 1985" /> near-[[Diabetes|diabetic]],<ref name="sgtyork.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.sgtyork.org/PDF/article-Dr%20Birdwell-YorkWWIIH-C.pdf |title=Sergeant York and World War II |first=Michael E. |last=Birdwell |website=Sergeant York |access-date=June 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003010600/http://www.sgtyork.org/PDF/article-Dr%20Birdwell-YorkWWIIH-C.pdf |archive-date=October 3, 2011 }}</ref> and with evidence of [[arthritis]], he was denied enlistment as a combat soldier. Instead, he was commissioned as a [[Major (United States)|major]] in the Army Signal Corps<ref name="David E. Lee 1985" /><ref name="sgtyork.org" /> and he toured training camps and participated in bond drives in support of the war effort, usually paying his own travel expenses. Gen. [[Matthew Ridgway]] later recalled that York "created in the minds of farm boys and clerks&nbsp;... the conviction that an aggressive soldier, well-trained and well-armed, can fight his way out of any situation." He also raised funds for war-related charities, including the Red Cross. He served on his county draft board, and when literacy requirements forced the rejection of large numbers of Fentress County men, he offered to lead a battalion of illiterates himself, saying they were "crack shots".<ref>Lee, 1985, 116–20</ref> Although York served during the war as a Signal Corps major<ref name="David E. Lee 1985" /><ref name="sgtyork.org" /> and as a [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] with the 7th Regiment of the [[Tennessee State Guard]],<ref>Barry M. Stentiford, ''The American Home Guard: The State Militia in the Twentieth Century'' (Texas A & M University Press, 2002), 94 {{ISBN|1-58544-181-3}}; [https://books.google.com/books?id=sNYc6alAb4IC&pg=PA94 available online], accessed September 20, 2010</ref> newspapers continued to refer to him as "Sergeant York".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0716FF3F5D167B93CBA81789D85F468485F9 |title=Sgt. York Urges Aid for Red Cross |date=February 19, 1942 |newspaper=New York Times |access-date=September 12, 2010}}</ref>

===Legacy and film story===
Biographer David Lee explored the reason Americans responded so favorably to his story:
{{blockquote|York's Appalachian heritage was central to his popularity because the media portrayed him as the archetypical mountain man. At a time of domestic upheaval and international uncertainty, York's pioneer-like skill with a rifle, his homespun manner, and his fundamentalist piety endeared him to millions of Americans as a "contemporary ancestor" fresh from the backwoods of the southern mountains. As such, he seemed to affirm that the traditional virtues of the agrarian United States still had meaning in the new era. York represented not what Americans were, but what they wanted to think they were. He lived in one of the most rural parts of the country when a majority of Americans lived in cities; he rejected riches when the tenor of the nation was crassly commercial; he was pious when secularism was on the rise. For millions of people, York was the incarnation of their romanticized understanding of the nation's past when men and women supposedly lived plainer, sterner, and more virtuous lives. Ironically, while York endured as a symbol of an older America, he spent most of his adult life working to bring roads, schools, and industrial development to the mountains, changes that were destroying the society he had come to represent.<ref name="Lee, 2000">Lee, ''American National Biography'' (2000)</ref>}}

[[File:Alvin York his mother and wife Gracie Williams 1919.png|thumb|alt=B&W photo of three people|1919 newspaper coverage of Alvin York (left) with his mother and his wife, Gracie Williams]]

York co-operated with journalists in telling his life story twice in the 1920s. He allowed Nashville-born freelance journalist Sam Cowan to see his diary and submitted to interviews. The resulting 1922 biography focused on York's Appalachian background, describing his upbringing among the "purest Anglo-Saxons to be found today", emphasizing popular stereotypes without bringing the man to life.<ref>Lee, 1985, 93–4</ref><ref>''New York Times'': [https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/16/archives/tennessees-war-hero.html "Tennessee's War Hero", July 16, 1922], accessed September 20, 2010. Review of ({{cite book |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19117 |title=Sergeant York And His People |author=Cowan, Sam K. |year=1922}}). Called "worthwhile", adding "careful restraint is one of its charms", and objecting "The attempt to picture him as tearfully prayerful as he fought against merciless butchers for his own life and the lives of his American comrades verges on to mawkish twaddle."</ref> A few years later, York contacted a publisher about an edition of his war diary, but the publisher wanted additional material to flesh out the story. Then [[Tom Skeyhill]], an Australian-born veteran of the [[Gallipoli campaign]],<ref>''New York Times'': [https://www.nytimes.com/1932/05/23/archives/tom-skeyhill-author-dies-in-plane-crash-pilot-and-guest-are-in.html "Tom Skeyhill, Author, Dies in Plane Crash", May 23, 1932], accessed September 20, 2010, calls Skeyhill the author of York's "official biography."</ref> visited York in Tennessee and the two became friends. On York's behalf, Skeyhill wrote an "autobiography" in the first person and was credited as the editor of ''Sergeant York: His Own Life Story and War Diary''. With a preface by [[Newton D. Baker]], Secretary of War in World War I, it presented a one-dimensional York supplemented with tales of life in the Tennessee mountains.<ref>Lee, 1985, 94–5</ref> Reviews noted that York only promoted his life story in the interest of funding educational programs: "Perhaps York's bearing after his famous exploit in the Argonne best reveals his native greatness.&nbsp;... He will not exploit himself except for his own people. All of which gives his book an appeal beyond its contents."<ref>''New York Times'': [https://www.nytimes.com/1928/12/23/archives/sergeant-york-tells-his-own-story.html S. T. Williamson, "Sergeant York Tells His Own Story", December 23, 1928], accessed September 20, 2010, review of ''Sergeant York: His Own Life Story and War Diary'', edited by Tom Skeyhill (NY: Doubleday, Doran & Co., 1928). On Williamson see ''New York Times'': [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0B13FB395D117B93CBA8178DD85F468685F9 "Samuel T. Williamson, 70, Dies", June 19, 1962], accessed September 20, 2010. Skeyhill wrote a version for children ''Sergeant York: Last of the Long Hunters'' (John C. Winston Company, 1930)</ref>

The mountaineer persona Cowan and Skeyhill promoted reflected York's own beliefs. In a speech at the [[1939 New York World's Fair]], he said:

{{blockquote|We, the descendants of the pioneer [[Longhunter|long hunters]] of the mountains, have been called Scotch-Irish and pure Anglo-Saxon, and that is complimentary, I reckon. But we want the world to know that we are Americans. The spiritual environment and our religious life in the mountains have made our spirit wholly American, and that true pioneer American spirit still exists in the Tennessee mountains.

Even today, I want you all to know, with all the clamor of the world and its evil attractions, you still find in the little humble log cabins in the Tennessee mountains that old-fashioned [[family altar]] of prayer—the same that they used to have in grandma's and grandpa's day—which is the true spirit of the long hunters. We in the Tennessee mountains are not transplanted Europeans; every fiber in our body and every emotion in our hearts is American.<ref>''New York Times'': [https://www.nytimes.com/1939/07/23/archives/hull-nominated-on-tennessee-day-throngs-at-fair-cheer-governor.html "Hull 'Nominated' on Tennessee Day", July 23, 1939], accessed September 20, 2010</ref>}}

For many years, York employed a secretary, Arthur S. Bushing, who wrote the lectures and speeches York delivered. Bushing prepared York's correspondence, as well. Like the works of Cowan and Skeyhill, words commonly ascribed to York, though doubtless representing his thinking, were often composed by professional writers.<ref>Lee, 1985, xi–xii</ref> York had refused several times to authorize a film version of his life story.<ref>Lee, 1985, 101–2</ref> Finally, in 1940, as York was looking to finance an interdenominational Bible school, he yielded to a persistent Hollywood producer and negotiated the contract himself.<ref>Lee, 1985, 102–4</ref> In 1941, the movie ''[[Sergeant York (film)|Sergeant York]]'', directed by [[Howard Hawks]] with [[Gary Cooper]] in the title role, told about his life and Medal of Honor action.<ref>The story that York insisted on Gary Cooper in the title role derives from the fact that producer [[Jesse Louis Lasky|Jesse L. Lasky]], who wanted Cooper for the role, recruited Cooper by writing a plea that he accept the role and then signing York's name to the telegram. Lee, 1985, 105ff.</ref> The screenplay included much fictitious material, though it was based on York's ''Diary''.<ref name=allmovie /><ref>Lee, 1985, 114</ref> The marketing of the film included a visit by York to the White House, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt praised the film.<ref>Lee, 1985, 110</ref> Some of the response to the film divided along political lines, with advocates of preparedness and aid to the United Kingdom enthusiastic ("Hollywood's first solid contribution to the national defense", said ''[[Time magazine|Time]]'') and isolationists calling it "propaganda" for the administration.<ref>Lee, 1985, 110–1</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,884426,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100622042726/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,884426,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 22, 2010 |title=Cinema: New Picture, Aug. 4, 1941 |magazine=Time |date=August 4, 1941 |access-date=September 13, 2010}}</ref> It received 11 [[Academy Award|Oscar]] nominations and won two, including the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for Cooper. It was the highest-grossing picture of 1941.<ref name=allmovie>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/work/43758 |title=Plot Synopsis |website=[[Allmovie]] |access-date=September 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034167/ |title=Sergeant York (1941) |website=Internet Movie Database |access-date=September 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729153315/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034167/ |archive-date=July 29, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> York's earnings from the film, about $150,000 in the first two years as well as later royalties, resulted in a decade-long battle with the [[Internal Revenue Service]].<ref>Lee, 1985, 128–9</ref> York eventually built part of his planned Bible school, which hosted 100 students until the late 1950s.<ref>Lee, 1985, 113, 128</ref>

===Political views===
York originally believed in the morality of America's intervention in World War I.<ref>Lee, 1985, 58, 67</ref> By the mid-1930s, he looked back more critically: "I can't see that we did any good. There's as much trouble now as there was when we were over there. I think the slogan 'A war to end war' is all wrong."<ref>Lee, 1985, 100</ref> He fully endorsed American preparedness, but showed sympathy for [[isolationism]] by saying that he would fight only if war came to America.<ref>Lee, 1985, 100–1; ''New York Times'': [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0E14FC3B5D167A93C3A8178AD95F408385F9 "Sergeant York Hopes We Will Avoid Wars", November 11, 1934], accessed September 14, 2010; ''New York Times'': [https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0E1EFC3E58107A93CBA9178AD95F428385F9 "Peace to be Theme on Armistice Day", November 9, 1936], accessed September 14, 2010</ref>

A consistent [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]&nbsp;– "I'm a Democrat first, last, and all the time",<ref>Lee, 1985, 120</ref> he said&nbsp;– in January 1941 he praised President Roosevelt's support for the United Kingdom, and in an address at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on [[Memorial Day]] of that year, he attacked isolationists and said that veterans understood that "liberty and freedom are so very precious that you do not fight and win them once and stop." They are "prizes awarded only to those peoples who fight to win them and then keep fighting eternally to hold them!"<ref>Lee, 1985, 109–10. FDR quoted York's speech at length in an address to the nation on November 11, 1941. See also ''Time'': [https://web.archive.org/web/20101014181008/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,849874,00.html "Army & Navy and Civilian Defense: Old Soldiers", May 18, 1942], accessed September 14, 2010</ref> At times, he was blunt: "I think any man who talks against the interests of his own country ought to be arrested and put in jail, not excepting senators and colonels." Everyone knew that the colonel in question was [[Charles Lindbergh]].<ref>Lee, 1985, 109</ref>

In the late 1940s, he called for toughness in dealing with the [[Soviet Union]] and did not hesitate to recommend using the [[Nuclear weapon|atomic bomb]] in a [[Pre-emptive nuclear strike|first strike]], stating, "If they can't find anyone else to push the button, I will."<ref name=lee125>Lee, 1985, 125</ref> He questioned the failure of [[United Nations]] forces to use the atomic bomb in [[Korea]].<ref name=lee125 /> In the 1960s, he criticized Secretary of Defense [[Robert McNamara]]'s plans to reduce the ranks of the [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] and reserves, saying, "Nothing would please [[Nikita Khrushchev|Khrushchev]] better."<ref>Lee, 1985, 132</ref>

==Personal life and death==
[[File:Alvin-york-gracie-williams-grave-tn1.jpg|thumb|right|The graves of Alvin (right) and Gracie (left) York at Wolf River Cemetery, Pall Mall, Tennessee]]
York and his wife Gracie had 10 children, seven sons and three daughters, most named after American historical figures: an infant son (1920, died at four days old), Alvin Cullum Jr. (1921–1983), George Edward Buxton (1923–2018), Woodrow Wilson (1925–1998), Samuel Huston [sic] (1928–1929), Andrew Jackson (1930–2022), Betsy Ross (born 1933), Mary Alice (1935–1991), Thomas Jefferson (1938–1972), and an infant daughter (1940, died the same day).<ref>Lee, 1985, 150 n31. G. Edward Buxton was York's battalion commander in the 328th Infantry.</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=January 7, 2018 |title=Obituary, George E. York |url=http://www.jenningsfh.com/notices/George-York |work=Jennings Funeral Home |location=Jamestown, TN}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.odmp.org/officer/14612-constable-thomas-jefferson-york |title=Constable Thomas Jefferson York |publisher=[[The Officer Down Memorial Page]]}}</ref>

York had health problems throughout his life. He had gallbladder surgery in the late 1920s and had [[pneumonia]] in 1942. Described in 1919 as a "red-haired giant with the ruddy complexion of the outdoors" and "standing more than 6 feet&nbsp;... and tipping the scale at more than 200 pounds",<ref>''New York Times'': [https://www.nytimes.com/1919/06/01/archives/sergt-york-home-his-girl-says-yes-hero-glad-to-be-back-among-his.html "Sergt. York Home, His Girl Says 'Yes{{'"}}, June 1, 1919], accessed September 20, 2010</ref> by 1945, he weighed 250 pounds and in 1948, he had a [[stroke]]. More strokes and another case of pneumonia followed, and he was confined to bed from 1954, further impaired by failing eyesight. He was hospitalized several times during his last two years.<ref>Lee, 1985, 127, 133–4</ref><ref>''Time'' said he weighed 275 in 1941. {{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,884426,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100622042726/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,884426,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 22, 2010 |title=Cinema: New Picture, Aug. 4, 1941 |magazine=Time |date=August 4, 1941 |access-date=September 13, 2010}}</ref> York died at the Veterans Hospital in [[Nashville, Tennessee]], on September 2, 1964, of a [[cerebral hemorrhage]] at age 76. After a funeral service in his Jamestown church, with Gen. [[Matthew Ridgway]] representing President [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Lyndon Johnson]],<ref>Lee, 1985, 134</ref> York was buried at the Wolf River Cemetery in Pall Mall. His funeral sermon was delivered by Richard G. Humble, General Superintendent of the Churches of Christ in Christian Union.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brown |first=Kenneth Rev. |date=1980 |title=A Goodly Heritage: a History of the Churches of Christ in Christian Union |url=http://www.cccuhq.org/e-books/doc_download/7-a-goodly-heritage-e-book |via=Wayback Machine |location=Circleville, OH |publisher=Circle Press, Inc. |page=122|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923201120/http://www.cccuhq.org/e-books/doc_download/7-a-goodly-heritage-e-book |archive-date=September 23, 2015 }}</ref> Humble also preached Mrs. York's funeral sermon in 1984.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fontenay |first=Charles L. |date=September 28, 1984 |title=Sgt. York's Widow Dies; Rites Set |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50051134/yorks-widow/ |work=The Tennessean |location=Nashville, TN |page=2B |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

==Awards==
York was the recipient of these awards:
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Medal of Honor ribbon|width=106}}
<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add York's Distinguished Service Cross Ribbon to this list of awards since, when it was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, he was at that point no longer authorized to wear it. Thank you. -->
|{{ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|name=World War I Victory Medal ribbon|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|name=American Campaign Medal ribbon|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=World War II Victory Medal ribbon|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Medaille militaire ribbon|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Croix de guerre 1914-1918 with palm.jpg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=Croce di guerra al merito BAR|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|name=ME Order of Danilo I Member BAR|width=106}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|[[Medal of Honor]]
<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add York's Distinguished Service Cross to this list of awards since, when it was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, he was at that point no longer authorized to wear it. Thank you. -->
|[[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|World War I Victory Medal]]<br><small>with three [[Service star|bronze campaign star]]s</small>
|[[American Campaign Medal]]
|-
|[[World War II Victory Medal]]
|[[Legion of Honour|Legion of Honor]]<br><small>([[France]])</small>
|[[Médaille militaire|Military Medal]]<br><small>([[France]])</small>
|-
|[[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)]]<br><small>with Palm ([[France]])</small>
|[[War Merit Cross (Italy)|War Cross]]<br><small>([[Italy]])</small>
|[[Order of Prince Danilo I]]<br><small>([[Montenegro]])</small>
|}

==Legacy==

===Controversy===
Beginning soon after York's return to the United States at the end of the war, doubt and controversy periodically surfaced over whether the events detailed in his Medal of Honor documents had taken place as officially described, and whether other soldiers in York's unit should also have been recognized for their heroism.<ref name=Mastriano153>Mastriano, p. 153.</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Talley |first=Robert |date=November 11, 1929 |title=Eleven Years After War Finds Members in Different Jobs: Still Can't Understand why Sergeant York Got all the Credit for Winning |url=http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%208/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201929%20Nov-Dec%20Grayscale/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201929%20Nov-Dec%20Grayscale%20-%200231.pdf |newspaper=Niagara Falls Gazette |location=Niagara Falls, NY |page=4}}</ref> Otis Merrithew (William Cutting) and Bernard Early were among those who argued against the official version.<ref>{{cite news |last=Talley |first=Robert |date=November 11, 1929 |title=Controversy Still On Between Members Of Heroic Band of Soldiers In Argonne Fight |url=http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%208/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201929%20Nov-Dec%20Grayscale/Niagara%20Falls%20NY%20Gazette%201929%20Nov-Dec%20Grayscale%20-%200231.pdf |work=[[Niagara Falls Gazette]] |location=Niagara Falls, NY |page=4 |via=Fulton History.com |access-date=February 10, 2018}}</ref> Of the 17 American soldiers who were involved in York's Medal of Honor action, six were killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historynet.com/alvin-york-hero-argonne.htm |title=Alvin York: Hero of the Argonne |last=Mastriano |first=Douglas |date=March 14, 2017 |website=History Net.com |publisher=Weider History Group |location=Leesburg, VA}}</ref> York received the Medal of Honor, and over the years, three of the others who lived through that day's fighting also received valor awards,<ref>{{cite news|last=Krimsky |first=George |date=May 5, 2008 |title=Move over, Sgt. York |url=http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2008/05/06/news/doc481b641ecef0a202539427.txt |newspaper=The Republican-American |location=Waterbury, CT |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190434/http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2008/05/06/news/doc481b641ecef0a202539427.txt |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> including the Distinguished Service Cross for Early in 1929,<ref>{{cite news |last=International News Service |date=October 5, 1929 |title=Sergeant Early to get Distinguished Service Cross Today |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/50164763/ |newspaper=The Kane Republican |location=Kane, PA |page=1 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> and the [[Silver Star]] for Merrithew in 1965.<ref>{{cite news |last=Associated Press |date=September 20, 1965 |title=Medal Comes 47 Years Late: "York and I fought Side by Side" |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/23496089/ |newspaper=The Daily Citizen |location=Tucson, AZ |page=33 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
Considerable red tape hampered the other men's attempts to get recognized as well as conflicts of interest by those reviewing their files. Later in life Gen. Lindsey would have a change of heart and support the other men's claims for recognition, which were again blocked by military officials citing a 1929 cutoff date for recommendation. Historian James P. Gregory's 2023 book ''Unraveling the Myth of Sgt. Alvin York'' and related academic lectures<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvTBsv5WtoI&list=RDCMUCikj7PQyCCtoBMy9r7PvG3g&start_radio=1&ab_channel=NationalWWIMuseumandMemorial | title=Unraveling the Myth of SGT. York - James P. Gregory, Jr | website=[[YouTube]] | date=January 24, 2023 }}</ref> has brought about new scrutiny on the subject and renewed calls for the men involved other than York to be honored.

York's record became the subject of controversy in Germany in 1928, after a Swedish journal published an article about York's exploits, which some Germans felt impugned the honor of the German armed forces. In 1929, the [[German Federal Archives|Reichsarchiv]] investigated the claims made about York's battlefield exploits by reviewing military records and interviewing surviving German officers of the [[2nd Landwehr Division (German Empire)|2nd Württemberg Landwehr Division]], who had fought against York.<ref>Taylor V. Beattie with Ronald Bowman, "In Search of York: Man, Myth & Legend," Army History, Summer-Fall 2000 (PB-2B-0B-3 (No. 50)), [https://web.archive.org/web/20100608095805/http://www.history.army.mil/armyhistory/AH50newOCR.pdf]</ref> The German report, which was not published at the time, concluded, "York was a brave and fearless soldier" and the official U.S. Army report on York's actions "corresponds with the facts," but also found that some of the details of York's first report from the battlefield had been "grossly exaggerated." In particular, the German investigators found that York's unit had likely captured fewer than 132 prisoners and 35 machine guns, as Germans records showed the loss of only 79 prisoners in the sector that day, and German officers reported fewer than 35 machine guns were present. The German investigators shared their report with the U.S. Army, which did not take any action, as the report confirmed York's role in valorously leading assaults on German positions and did not contradict any of the specific details of York's Medal of Honor citation.<ref>Typescript, "Testimony of German Officers and Men anent Sergeant York: A Translation of The Origin of War Legends, An Investigation of the Alleged Feat of Sgt York, October 8, 19J8," trans. F. W. Merten, p. II, copies in U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pa., and in file 4658. box 40. Entry 310C. records ("Thomas File") of the Historical Section, Anny War College, RG 165. Available online at http://www.digitalhistoryarchive.com/free-items.html.</ref>

===Discovery of "lost" battlefield===
[[File:ChatelChéhéryFrance.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.25|Near the [[Chatel-Chéhéry]] battlefield in 2010]]
In October 2006, United States Army Colonel [[Douglas V. Mastriano|Douglas Mastriano]], head of the Sergeant York Discovery Expedition (SYDE), conducted research to locate the York battle site.<ref>{{Cite news |access-date=June 16, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/26/world/americas/26iht-york.3300183.html |work=The New York Times |title=Proof offered of Sergeant York's war exploits |first=Craig S. |last=Smith |date=October 26, 2006 |ref={{sfnRef|"Proof offered of Sergeant York's war exploits"}}}}</ref> Among the Mastriano expedition's finds were 46 American rifle rounds.<ref>{{cite news |last=Montgomery |first=Nancy |date=May 26, 2008 |title=Officer says he's pinpointed Sgt. York's stand: 5,000 artifacts and exhausting research help American zero in on where a marker will be |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/officer-says-he-s-pinpointed-sgt-york-s-stand-1.79280 |work=Stars and Stripes |location=Washington, DC |ref={{sfnRef|"Officer says he's pinpointed Sgt. York's stand"}}}}</ref> In addition, his research located pieces of German ammunition and weaponry.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mastriano |first1=Col. Douglas |title=The York Artifacts Gallery |url=http://www.sgtyorkdiscovery.com/The_York_Gallery.php |website=www.sgtyorkdiscovery.com |publisher=Self-published |access-date=July 7, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707095113/http://www.sgtyorkdiscovery.com/The_York_Gallery.php |archive-date=July 7, 2015 }}</ref> Without the official support of the French government, Mastriano excavated the site and bulldozed the area in order to build two monuments and a historic trail.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Tom Nolan|date=November 17, 2008|title=Search for Sgt. York site turns into modern media battle|work=The Record (Middle Tennessee State University)|url=http://www.mtsu.edu/news/Record/Rec_v17/rec1710.pdf|access-date=November 17, 2008}}</ref> Mastriano's research has been strongly disputed by other historians, who point out numerous errors in the history dissertation and subsequent book that he published on York.<ref>{{cite news| last=Scolforo | first=Mark | date=September 9, 2022 | title= Amid campaign, Mastriano's disputed dissertation made public |newspaper = AP News | access-date = September 14, 2022 | url = https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-science-donald-trump-new-brunswick-york-16b74c34b1902864f9fe205184830f94}}</ref>

Another team led by Dr. Tom Nolan, head of the Sergeant York Project and a geographer at the R.O. Fullerton Laboratory for Spatial Technology at [[Middle Tennessee State University]], placed the site 600 meters south of the location identified by Mastriano.<ref>University of South Caroline: [http://www.cas.sc.edu/sciaa/legacy/legacy_v14n1.pdf James B. Legg, "Finding Sgt. York", 18–21] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614215333/http://www.cas.sc.edu/sciaa/legacy/legacy_v14n1.pdf|date=June 14, 2010}}, accessed June 13, 2010</ref><ref>Texas State University: [http://ecommons.txstate.edu/geogtad/5 Nolan, "Battlefield Landscapes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703032513/http://ecommons.txstate.edu/geogtad/5|date=July 3, 2010}}, accessed June 13, 2010</ref> Nolan's research relied on contemporary army graves registration Forms, the 82nd Division's wartime history, and maps drawn by Colonel [[G. Edward Buxton Jr.]] and Captain Edward C. B. Danforth, both of whom walked the ground with York during the Medal of Honor investigation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kelly|first=Michael|title=Hero on the Western Front: Discovering Alvin York's WWI Battlefield|publisher=Frontline Books|year=2018|isbn=978-1-52670-075-9}}</ref>

===Monuments and memorials===
Many places and monuments throughout the world have been named in honor of York:
* The [[Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park]] preserves his farm in Pall Mall.
* The [[Alvin C. York Bridge]] crosses the [[Tennessee River]] between [[Perry County, Tennessee]], and [[Decatur County, Tennessee]]. 
* Several government buildings have been named for York, including the [[Alvin C. York Veterans Hospital]] located in [[Murfreesboro, Tennessee|Murfreesboro]].<ref>{{cite web |access-date=August 30, 2010 |url=http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?id=94 |title=Tennessee Valley Healthcare System&nbsp;– Alvin C. York (Murfreesboro) Campus |publisher=[[United States Department of Veterans Affairs]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903043011/http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/facility.asp?ID=94 |archive-date=September 3, 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
* The [[Alvin C. York Institute]] was founded in 1926 as an agricultural high school by York and residents of Fentress County, and it continues to serve as Jamestown's high school.<ref name=Handbook>{{cite web|url=http://www2.york.k12.tn.us/handbook.htm |work=York Institute Student Handbook |title=York Institute: Student Handbook 2007–2008 |access-date=December 29, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429091841/http://www2.york.k12.tn.us/handbook.htm |archive-date=April 29, 2009 }}</ref>
* [[York Avenue]] on the [[Upper East Side]] of [[Manhattan]], New York City, was named for York in 1928.<ref name=PollackNYT>{{Cite news |access-date=October 23, 2007 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/07/nyregion/thecity/07fyi.html |title=The Great Race&nbsp;– "A Tennesseean Honored" |author=Pollak, Michael |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 7, 2005}}</ref>
* A statue of York by sculptor [[Felix de Weldon]] was placed on the grounds of the [[Tennessee State Capitol]] in 1968.<ref>Robert Ewing Corlew, Stanley John Folmsbee, and Enoch L. Mitchell, ''Tennessee: A Short History'', 2nd ed. (Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Press, 1981), 442</ref>
* In 2007, the 82nd Airborne Division's movie theater at [[Fort Bragg (North Carolina)|Fort Bragg]], [[North Carolina]], was named York Theater.<ref name=YorkTheater>{{cite web |access-date=October 23, 2007 |url=http://www.aafes.com/ems/conus/bragg.htm |title=Ft Bragg&nbsp;– York Theatre |publisher=Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011070412/http://aafes.com/ems/conus/bragg.htm |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>

York is also the namesake for awards and military assets:
* In the 1980s, the U.S. Army named its [[M247 Sergeant York|DIVAD]] weapon system "Sergeant York"; the project was cancelled because of technical problems and cost overruns.<ref name=Wilentz>{{Cite magazine |access-date=October 23, 2007 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,959780,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207055223/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,959780,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 7, 2009 |title=No More Time for Sergeant York |author=Wilentz, Amy |magazine=Time |date=September 9, 1985}}</ref>
* In 1993, York was among 35 Medal of Honor recipients whose portraits were painted and biographies included in a boxed set of "Congressional Medal of Honor Trading Cards" issued by [[Eclipse Comics|Eclipse Enterprises]] under license from the Medal of Honor Society. The text is by Kent DeLong, the paintings by Tom Simonton, and the set edited by [[Catherine Yronwode]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nslists.com/congmed.htm |title=Jeff Alexander's House of Checklists: Congressional Medal of Honor, Eclipse, 1993 |access-date=October 21, 2017 }}</ref>
* On May 5, 2000, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued the "Distinguished Soldiers" stamps, one of which honored York.<ref name="American War Hero Stamps">{{cite web |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/reference/amewarhs.html |title=The Pentagram: U.S. Postal Service salutes four American war heroes |last=Ford |first=Spc. Keisha |date=May 5, 2000 |website=Center of Military History |publisher=U.S. Army |access-date=October 10, 2016 |archive-date=September 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915225334/http://www.history.army.mil/html/reference/amewarhs.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* The [[riderless horse]] in the 2004 funeral procession of President [[Ronald Reagan]] was named Sergeant York.<ref name=Kindred>{{cite web |access-date=October 23, 2007 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_25_228/ai_n6126991 |title=A proud performer after all |author=Kindred, Dave |date=June 21, 2004 |work=The Sporting News}}</ref>
* The traveling [[American football]] trophy between [[University of Tennessee at Martin|UT Martin]], [[Austin Peay State University|Austin Peay]], [[Tennessee State University|Tennessee State]], and [[Tennessee Technological University|Tennessee Tech]] is called the Alvin C. York Trophy.<ref name=YorkTrophy>{{cite web |access-date=October 23, 2007 |url=http://media.www.theallstate.com/media/storage/paper801/news/2007/10/03/Sports/The-New.Sergeant.York.Trophy.Series-3009039.shtml |title=The New Sergeant York Trophy Series |author=Scott, Marlon |date=October 23, 2007 |work=The All State}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=OVCSports.com – Sgt. York Trophy presented by Delta Dental of Tennessee |url=http://ovcsports.com/sports/2012/6/14/GEN_0614125712.aspx |website=ovcsports.com |access-date=October 9, 2015}}</ref>
* The [[U.S. Army ROTC]]'s Sergeant York Award is presented to cadets who excel in the program and devote additional time and effort to maintaining and expanding it.<ref>University of Texas: [http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/arotc/_files/pdf/Cadets/cadet_ribbons.pdf "Cadet Ribbons"], accessed November 21, 2010; Awarded to the cadet who does the most to support the ROTC program. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020062145/http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/arotc/_files/pdf/Cadets/cadet_ribbons.pdf |date=October 20, 2012 }}</ref>
* A memorial to graduates of the East Tennessee State University ROTC program who have given their lives for their country carries a quotation from York.<ref>Waymarking.com: [http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM80JN_ETSU_Army_ROTC_50th_Anniversary_Johnson_City "ETSU Army ROTC 50th Anniversary&nbsp;– Johnson City"], accessed August 29, 2010</ref>
* The Third Regiment of the Tennessee State Guard is named for York.<ref>Tennessee State Guard, Third Regiment: [http://tsg3.us/mission.html "Mission"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130419125857/http://tsg3.us/mission.html |date=April 19, 2013 }}, accessed September 20, 2010</ref>

Appearances and references in literature:
* [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning author [[Robert Penn Warren]] used York as the model for characters in two of his novels, both explorations of the burden of fame faced by battlefield heroes in peacetime. In ''[[At Heaven's Gate]]'' (1943), a Tennessee mountaineer who was awarded the Medal of Honor in World War I returns from combat, becomes a state legislator, and then a bank president. Others exploit his decency and fame for their own selfish ends as the novel explores the real-life experience of an old-fashioned hero in a cynical world. In ''The Cave'' (1959), a similar hero from a similar background has aged and become an invalid. He struggles to maintain his identity as his real self diverges from the robust legend of his youth.<ref>Lee, 1985, 130–2; {{Cite news |access-date=September 12, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/08/22/archives/the-pattern-of-dry-rot-in-dixie-at-heavens-gate-by-robert-penn.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |title=The Pattern of Dry Rot in Dixie |author=Maxwell Geismar |date=August 22, 1943}}; {{Cite news |access-date=September 12, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/08/24/archives/books-of-the-times.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |title=Books of The Times |author=Orville Prescott |date=August 24, 1959}}</ref>
* The [[Association of the United States Army]] published a digital graphic novel about York in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ausa.org/resources/book-program | title=AUSA Book Program| date=December 17, 2015}}</ref>
* [[Laura Cantrell]]'s 2005 song "Old Downtown" talks about York in depth.<ref name=LauraCantrell>{{cite web |access-date=October 23, 2007 |url=http://www.matadorrecords.com/laura_cantrell/biography.html |title=Laura Cantrell Biography |date=June 21, 2005 |publisher=Matador Records |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115223101/http://www.matadorrecords.com/laura_cantrell/biography.html |archive-date=November 15, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Swedish power metal band [[Sabaton (band)|Sabaton]]'s 2019 album ''[[The Great War (Sabaton album)|The Great War]]'' includes the song "82nd All the Way", inspired by York and his actions in the Meuse-Argonne offensive.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sabaton.net/discography/the-great-war/82nd-all-the-way/|title = 82nd All the Way - Lyrics}}</ref> Another Swedish band, [[Amaranthe]], recorded a cover of the song in January 2020, shortly before both bands toured together in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Childers |first=Chad|date=2020-01-03 |title=Amaranthe Salute Tourmates Sabaton With '82nd All the Way' Cover |url=https://loudwire.com/amaranthe-sabaton-82nd-all-the-way-cover/ |access-date=2024-03-01 |website=Loudwire |language=en}}</ref> The song incorrectly names York's unit as the 338th Infantry Regiment; it was actually the 328th. Sabaton singer [[Joakim Brodén]] has corrected this error in live performances of the song.
* In the [[alternate history (fiction)|alternate history]] novel ''[[1945 (Gingrich and Forstchen novel)|1945]]'' by [[Newt Gingrich]] and [[William R. Forstchen]], Alvin York is pitted against well-known German commando [[Otto Skorzeny]], who in the book's plot raids York's native Tennessee with the aim of destroying the American [[atomic bomb]] program in [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]]. As depicted in the book, York - though no longer young - gives a very good account of himself, rallying local militias to fight the unexpected German attack.


==See also== <!-- EDITORS NOTE: This section should primarily contain lists linked to the main article which are directly related to the person. Thank you. -->
* [[List of Medal of Honor recipients for World War I]]
* [[List of members of the American Legion]]
* [[List of people from Tennessee]] 
* [[List of people on stamps of the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{Cite book |author=Birdwell, Michael E. |title=Celluloid Soldiers: The Warner Bros. Campaign against Nazism |location=New York, N.Y. |publisher=New York University Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-8147-9871-3}}
* {{Cite book |author=Capozzola, Christopher |title=Uncle Sam Wants You: World War I and the Making of the Modern American Citizen |location=New York, N.Y. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-19-533549-1}}
* Lee, David D. (2000) "York, Alvin Cullum" ''American National Biography'' (online 2000) [https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700339 online]
* {{Cite book |author=Lee, David D. |title=Sergeant York: An American Hero |location=Lexington, Ky. |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=1985 |isbn=0-8131-1517-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mastriano |first=Douglas V. |title=Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |date=2014 |isbn=9780813145198 |oclc=858901754 |ref={{sfnRef|''Alvin York: A New Biography''}}|title-link=Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne }}
* {{Cite book |author=Perry, John |title=Sgt. York: His Life, Legend & Legacy |publisher=B&H Books |year=1997 |isbn=0-8054-6074-8}}
* {{Cite book |author=Toplin, Robert Brent |title=History by Hollywood: The Use and Abuse of the American Past |publisher=University of Illinois Press |location=Chicago, Ill. |year=1996 |isbn=0-252-02073-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/historybyhollywo00topl }}
* {{Cite book |editor=Wheeler, Richard |title=Sergeant York and the Great War |publisher=Mantle Ministries |location=Bulverde, Tex. |year=1998 |isbn=1-889128-46-5}}
* {{cite web |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url=http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/York/biography.html |title=Alvin C. York |author=Williams, Gladys |publisher=York Institute |archive-date=March 26, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050326202450/http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/York/biography.html}}
{{Div col end}}
* {{cite book |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19117 |title=Sergeant York And His People |author=Cowan, Sam K. |year=1922 |publisher=Funk & Wagnall's Company [[Project Gutenberg]] }} [https://archive.org/details/SergeantYorkAndHisPeople1922 online free]
* Gregory, James Patrick. (2022). ''Unraveling the Myth of Sgt. Alvin York:The Other Sixteen.'' College Station, Texas, Texas A&M University Press.
* {{cite web |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/people/articles/web/20071008-sgt-alvin-york-world-war-I-wwII-aef-medal-of-honor-tennessee.shtml |title=How Sergeant York Became America's Hero |author=Kelly, Jack |year=2007 |work=American Heritage |access-date=September 20, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112113742/http://www.americanheritage.com/people/articles/web/20071008-sgt-alvin-york-world-war-I-wwII-aef-medal-of-honor-tennessee.shtml |archive-date=January 12, 2011 }}
* Skeyhill, Thomas. ''Sergeant York: Last of the Long Hunters'' (1930);
*{{cite book|last=Willbanks|first=James H.|date=2011|title=America's Heroes: Medal of Honor Recipients from the Civil War to Afghanistan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-FQ_ueG4AwC&pg=PA215|location=[[Santa Barbara, California]]|publisher=[[ABC-Clio]]|isbn=978-1-5988-4394-1}}
* [[Yockelson, Mitchell]]. ''Forty-Seven Days: How Pershing's Warriors Came of Age to Defeat at the German Army in World War I''. New York: NAL, Caliber, 2016. {{ISBN|978-0-451-46695-2}}.
* {{cite book |editor1=York, Alvin C. |editor2=Skeyhill, Tom |date=1928 |title=His Own Life Story and War Diary |location=Garden City, N.Y. |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc.]] |publication-date=1930 |url=https://archive.org/details/hisownlifestorya013634mbp |access-date=July 19, 2015}}

==External links==
{{Library resources box|viaf=51880323|label=Alvin C. York}}

===Official===
* {{Official website}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070702192940/http://www2.york.k12.tn.us/ Alvin C. York Institute]
* [https://tnstateparks.com/parks/sgt-alvin-c-york Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park]

=== General information===
* {{Hall of Valor|134|name=Alvin Cullum York}}
* [http://www.lylefrancispadilla.com/york.html Alvin Cullum York (1887–1964)] at Medal of Honor Recipients Portrayed On Film (lylefrancispadilla.com)
* {{IMDb name|id=948663|name=Alvin C. York}}
* [http://www.sergeantyorkproject.com/ Sergeant York Project]
* [http://www.sgtyorkdiscovery.com/ The Sergeant York Discovery Expedition (SYDE)]
* {{Internet Archive author|sname=Alvin C. York|birth=1887|death=1964|sopt=t}}

{{Subject bar|portal1=Biography|portal2=Film |portal3=Literature|portal4=United States|commons=y|commons-search=Category:Alvin York|q=y|q-search=Alvin C. York}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:York, Alvin C.}}
[[Category:1887 births]]
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[[Category:American Protestants]]
[[Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Civilian Conservation Corps people]]
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[[Category:American organization founders]]
[[Category:People from Harriman, Tennessee]]
[[Category:People from Pall Mall, Tennessee]]
[[Category:American recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)]]
<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please do not add Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) category to this list of awards since, when it was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, York was at that point no longer authorized to wear it. Thank you. -->
[[Category:Recipients of the War Merit Cross (Italy)]]
[[Category:Sharpshooters]]
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