The Value of a Veteran
Quick answer: What does Alvin York's life say about the value of a veteran?
Alvin York, who once claimed exemption from the draft, received the Medal of Honor for actions near Chatel-Chehery, France, on October 8, 1918, when he and a handful of men captured 132 Germans. He then returned to Fentress County, Tennessee, and devoted himself to education for mountain children.
When a young Tennessee farmer registered for the draft, he answered the question about exemption by writing, "Yes. Don't Want To Fight." His company and battalion commanders talked through scripture with him until he made peace with serving. On October 8, 1918, near Chatel-Chehery in the Argonne, Corporal Alvin York and a small patrol found themselves facing German machine guns. York's marksmanship silenced them, and the patrol marched 132 prisoners back to American lines. When Brigadier General Julian Lindsey told him he'd heard York had captured the whole German army, York answered that he only had 132. He received the Medal of Honor and was celebrated across the country, but he turned down most offers to profit from his fame. He went home to Fentress County and put his name to work for the place he came from, raising money for roads and for a school, the York Agricultural Institute, so that mountain children could get the education he never had. John's point is that a veteran's greatest contribution often comes after the uniform comes off.
Why it matters for leaders: The discipline and judgment people learn in service often do the most good back home, in the communities and organizations they go on to serve.
Q: What did Alvin York do on October 8, 1918?
A: Near Chatel-Chehery, France, he led the remnants of a patrol that silenced German machine guns and captured 132 prisoners, earning the Medal of Honor.
Q: What did York do after the war?
A: He returned to Fentress County, Tennessee, and founded the York Agricultural Institute to educate rural children.
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By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation