8 October 1918: Corporal Alvin York (1887-1964) of the American 82nd Infantry Division*, originally a conscientious objector, conducted a solo feat of arms against a well-positioned German machine-gun company; he returned to his own lines with one hundred thirty-two German P.O.W.; promoted to sergeant, York received the Medal of Honor, the French Croix de guerre, & fifty sundry decorations.
Lest we forget.
Commentary: *The far-famed 82nd wouldn't become airborne 'til 1942. Clean-shaven actor Gary Cooper won an Oscar for playing the eponymous moustachioed sharpshooter in the 1941 motion picture Sergeant York. Cooper's non-moustachioed visage is typical, even emblematic of Hollywood's contempt for historical accuracy.
No comments:
Post a Comment