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Sergeant York: His Own Life Story and War Diary
1 pages, Audio CD
Published March 1, 2021
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35 people want to read
About the author
Alvin C. York
8 books2 followersFamed American hero Alvin Cullum York. known as "sergeant York," in World War I single-handedly attacked a German post.
The Army drafted him, and he, swiftly of the most decorated and accomplished soldiers, received the congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic action in the Meuse-Argonne offensive among other notable accolades. An article in the Saturday Evening Post circulated and detailed actions publicly to a large readership. When he returned, largely due public outpouring and celebration greeted him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_York
The Army drafted him, and he, swiftly of the most decorated and accomplished soldiers, received the congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic action in the Meuse-Argonne offensive among other notable accolades. An article in the Saturday Evening Post circulated and detailed actions publicly to a large readership. When he returned, largely due public outpouring and celebration greeted him.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_York
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 29, 2025
A real deal WWl story. Love his East Tennessee accent and his character is everything.
August 10, 2025
Sergeant York, based on the diary of Alvin York
Considering the competition faced by Sergeant York in 1942, it is quite an achievement for Gary Cooper to have won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading role, especially ahead of Orson Welles
This was the year of Citizen Kane, which is for many scholars the best motion picture ever, How Green Was My Valley, which has won Best Picture in 1942, Suspicion and The Maltese Falcon, two of the best movies ever made.
As the magnificent William Goldman, winner of two Academy Awards for Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid and All The President’s Men, author of the quintessential Adventures in the Screen Trade writes, these were years when outstanding, memorable, archetypal features did not even make it to the short list of the Oscars, given that so creative, brilliant, and masterful those filmmakers were.
Having said that, it must be said that there could be some aspects of the hero that one could reject, from his hillbilly manner of speaking to aspects of his early behavior and the rather unintelligent style he has at times.
However, Alvin C. York aka Gary Cooper is the ultimate role model, Ubermensch at the end of the film, who demonstrates that ha has almost all the Character Strengths in the book, with Wisdom, after the initial foolishness, Courage, Humanity, Transcendence and Temperance in full display with their elements:
Bravery, Integrity, Vitality, Persistence, Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Hope, Gratitude, Humor, Spirituality, Pity and Forgiveness, Prudence, Humility and modesty, Self- regulation, Creativity, Love of learning, Curiosity, Open- mindedness and Perspective.
Alvin York has not started with such a rainbow of qualities, some of which need development anyway, considering that the protagonist is far from being an erudite, well read, educated man and as a young man he used to drink a lot, shoot trees and write his initials with bullet holes, causing the religious service to stop with his uproar.
He wakes up from what seems a continuous hangover, has a revelation when he runs after a fox and sees his now grown up neighbor, Gracie Williams and falls in love with the girl and beats an opponent to eliminate competition.
Alvin plans to marry, but he wants to buy more land, to be able to provide for a family, enters an arrangement with a man who takes an advance for the plot, establishes a deadline, then agrees to move it to allow the hard working hero to get all the debt together at a cruel turkey shoot, where the birds seem sitting ducks, but then that was another époque, with different standards, only to change his mind.
When the Promised Land is given to someone else, the protagonist is ready to beat the liar into the ground, the other men present stop him and he later buries his misery into bottles of alcohol and drunkenness, after one such night he has trouble riding home in a storm in which he is struck by a thunder.
Halleluiah, this another epiphany, so to say, after falling in love with Gracie, Alvin finds god, goes to the man who forfeited their understanding and instead of getting violent, as the liar feared, the hero is kind and accommodating, interested in buying his wagon back, adopting a new, Christian attitude to things.
Indeed, as he is drafted to join World War I, the protagonist becomes a conscientious objector, only to have his application rejected and therefore he is sent to a training camp, where he astonishes commanding officers with his incredible shooting, which gains him a promotion and encouragement from a major.
However, Alvin York is still against killing and he has to enjoy a few days off, reading The History of the United States to determine him to accept the new status as corporal and eventually teach others how to shoot.
The zenith of this man’s participation in the war effort comes in the thick of battle, during a difficult maneuver that has the Americans falling at the back of the German troops, only to be decimated by machine gun fire, which someone has to try to stop, if it would only be possible for a man.
Alvin York takes the initiative and almost single handedly takes about one hundred and fifty prisoners, including officers and shooting more than twenty, applying the technique he had previously explained, of shooting a group of turkeys, starting with the last in the pecking order and not the alpha male.
Alas, his friend is killed when a couple of prisoners throw a grenade and the former objector does not hesitate for a second to kill the soldier responsible and he is indeed asked by the major what happened to the qualms the hero had, which the latter explains that he still has, but when his comrades were massacred all around, he had to go to the first hill, shoot the first group manning a machine gun, then the next, after that a series of other enemies, without apparent end to this prodigious sniper activity.
This heroic act is rewarded and first the French command, then the British, followed by the American military leaders confer their most prestigious medals to the incredibly brave Corporal, advanced to Sergeant now.
Back in America, Alvin York is celebrated as a star and he is offered contracts that would bring him about half a million dollars, which could be half a billion today, for endorsing various breakfast meals, participating in movies and other endeavors, all of which make the protagonist reflect.
On the one hand there would be so much land that this rather (too?) simple, uneducated, error prone, but affable farmer could buy with that fortune, but on the other hand, he states that he only did his duty in Europe, therefore he should not profit from acts that he had to commit for his country.
Sergeant York is on the New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made list:
https://www.listchallenges.com/new-yo...
Considering the competition faced by Sergeant York in 1942, it is quite an achievement for Gary Cooper to have won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading role, especially ahead of Orson Welles
This was the year of Citizen Kane, which is for many scholars the best motion picture ever, How Green Was My Valley, which has won Best Picture in 1942, Suspicion and The Maltese Falcon, two of the best movies ever made.
As the magnificent William Goldman, winner of two Academy Awards for Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid and All The President’s Men, author of the quintessential Adventures in the Screen Trade writes, these were years when outstanding, memorable, archetypal features did not even make it to the short list of the Oscars, given that so creative, brilliant, and masterful those filmmakers were.
Having said that, it must be said that there could be some aspects of the hero that one could reject, from his hillbilly manner of speaking to aspects of his early behavior and the rather unintelligent style he has at times.
However, Alvin C. York aka Gary Cooper is the ultimate role model, Ubermensch at the end of the film, who demonstrates that ha has almost all the Character Strengths in the book, with Wisdom, after the initial foolishness, Courage, Humanity, Transcendence and Temperance in full display with their elements:
Bravery, Integrity, Vitality, Persistence, Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, Hope, Gratitude, Humor, Spirituality, Pity and Forgiveness, Prudence, Humility and modesty, Self- regulation, Creativity, Love of learning, Curiosity, Open- mindedness and Perspective.
Alvin York has not started with such a rainbow of qualities, some of which need development anyway, considering that the protagonist is far from being an erudite, well read, educated man and as a young man he used to drink a lot, shoot trees and write his initials with bullet holes, causing the religious service to stop with his uproar.
He wakes up from what seems a continuous hangover, has a revelation when he runs after a fox and sees his now grown up neighbor, Gracie Williams and falls in love with the girl and beats an opponent to eliminate competition.
Alvin plans to marry, but he wants to buy more land, to be able to provide for a family, enters an arrangement with a man who takes an advance for the plot, establishes a deadline, then agrees to move it to allow the hard working hero to get all the debt together at a cruel turkey shoot, where the birds seem sitting ducks, but then that was another époque, with different standards, only to change his mind.
When the Promised Land is given to someone else, the protagonist is ready to beat the liar into the ground, the other men present stop him and he later buries his misery into bottles of alcohol and drunkenness, after one such night he has trouble riding home in a storm in which he is struck by a thunder.
Halleluiah, this another epiphany, so to say, after falling in love with Gracie, Alvin finds god, goes to the man who forfeited their understanding and instead of getting violent, as the liar feared, the hero is kind and accommodating, interested in buying his wagon back, adopting a new, Christian attitude to things.
Indeed, as he is drafted to join World War I, the protagonist becomes a conscientious objector, only to have his application rejected and therefore he is sent to a training camp, where he astonishes commanding officers with his incredible shooting, which gains him a promotion and encouragement from a major.
However, Alvin York is still against killing and he has to enjoy a few days off, reading The History of the United States to determine him to accept the new status as corporal and eventually teach others how to shoot.
The zenith of this man’s participation in the war effort comes in the thick of battle, during a difficult maneuver that has the Americans falling at the back of the German troops, only to be decimated by machine gun fire, which someone has to try to stop, if it would only be possible for a man.
Alvin York takes the initiative and almost single handedly takes about one hundred and fifty prisoners, including officers and shooting more than twenty, applying the technique he had previously explained, of shooting a group of turkeys, starting with the last in the pecking order and not the alpha male.
Alas, his friend is killed when a couple of prisoners throw a grenade and the former objector does not hesitate for a second to kill the soldier responsible and he is indeed asked by the major what happened to the qualms the hero had, which the latter explains that he still has, but when his comrades were massacred all around, he had to go to the first hill, shoot the first group manning a machine gun, then the next, after that a series of other enemies, without apparent end to this prodigious sniper activity.
This heroic act is rewarded and first the French command, then the British, followed by the American military leaders confer their most prestigious medals to the incredibly brave Corporal, advanced to Sergeant now.
Back in America, Alvin York is celebrated as a star and he is offered contracts that would bring him about half a million dollars, which could be half a billion today, for endorsing various breakfast meals, participating in movies and other endeavors, all of which make the protagonist reflect.
On the one hand there would be so much land that this rather (too?) simple, uneducated, error prone, but affable farmer could buy with that fortune, but on the other hand, he states that he only did his duty in Europe, therefore he should not profit from acts that he had to commit for his country.
Sergeant York is on the New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made list:
https://www.listchallenges.com/new-yo...
May 18, 2022
Everybody loves a good story of a hero who saves the day. A story that leaves you “hanging on the edge of your seat”, or in other words, waiting to find out what happens next. You can’t forget character development either. There is no story better than a story with characters that you see growing over time. What if I told you that there was a story like this? A story that has a hero that is liked by all, a thrilling story that will certainly leave you “hanging on the edge of your seat”, and a main character who grows as a person over the course of the novel. That would make it a great story, but what would make it amazing would be if it was non-fiction. That description that I just gave you, is none other than Sergeant York.
Sergeant York is a non-fiction autobiography written by Alvin C. York, who was living a completely normal and average life in the mountains of Tennessee with his multiple brothers. Alvin and his family, growing up in the mountains, had limited food, and therefore relied on hunting as a means of food. Because of this, Alvin became very confident with holding and operating a rifle as a means of putting food on the table. He noticed that using a rifle became a big part of his personality and he believed it was a gift given to him by God. God was the main reasoning for everything in the novel. The main conflict fell upon a harsh decision between God and country.
York, as you might have imagined from previous context clues, was from the United States of America. He grew up in the early 1900’s, and if you know anything about United States history, 1917 was when the United States initially got involved into World War 1. During a lot of major wars in the United States throughout the 1900’s, the draft notice was more oftenly used. It was used in major wars such as the Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and in the First World War. The draft notice would require all men aged 18 to 26 to register for the United States Selective Service. York being a man in between those ages was required to register. The first conflict comes when, unfortunately, York is selected to serve in the army and fight in the war, despite the fact he is responsible for helping his family and even has a girlfriend at home. The secondary conflict appears when we take a deeper dive at York’s religious beliefs and practices. York was raised as a Christian and found his morals and made most of his decisions based of Christianity and the Bible. York found himself basing his entire life around the word of the Bible, especially on the ten commandments. One of the ten commandments especially stuck with York the most, and that one was “thou shalt not kill”. York found the ten commandments to be the core aspects and rules to follow at all times, so you can see why him being forced into the army to fight a war against other men was a huge deal and massive conflict to him and his family and friends. While I was reading this specific part in the book, I found myself genuinely curious and anxious about what would happen to York and what he would do to get out of this situation. He brought up a really good point saying that if he goes to fight in the war, then he isn’t a good Christian. But if he stays home and avoids the draft, then he is a bad American. This simple saying left me dawning on this book for hours at a time thinking about what I would have to do in this situation and how I would get out of it. The fact that York in this book was so relatable to me made this all the better. York is a young Christian man who lives in the southern United States, and I am also a young christian man growing up in the southern United States. It was also interesting because the same interests he shared in the book were the same things that I was interested in. After dawning on this for a little bit, I continued to read to find out that York actually found refuge in his church and sought out answers to help him with his problems. His church told him that there was a difference between “kill” and “Murder” and how God wishes for you to obey your Earthly leaders as well. After reading this, I then learned how I can apply this to my life so I can become a better person. I need to deeply think and understand all the problems that I am in and then seek help from experienced people who can help me overcome these problems.
I am not a very big book fan by any means, but I was invested throughout the entire book. It also taught me how to weigh my options. York had a lot of options to choose from, and both of them had pros and cons. It really made me think, “what would be the best option here,” or, “if I am in the situation, what should I do?”. I 100% recommend this book for any person who is looking for either a Christian, historical, or classical read. As a Christian and American, like York, his experience and novel had opened my eyes for the better and I guarantee it will for you as well.
Sergeant York is a non-fiction autobiography written by Alvin C. York, who was living a completely normal and average life in the mountains of Tennessee with his multiple brothers. Alvin and his family, growing up in the mountains, had limited food, and therefore relied on hunting as a means of food. Because of this, Alvin became very confident with holding and operating a rifle as a means of putting food on the table. He noticed that using a rifle became a big part of his personality and he believed it was a gift given to him by God. God was the main reasoning for everything in the novel. The main conflict fell upon a harsh decision between God and country.
York, as you might have imagined from previous context clues, was from the United States of America. He grew up in the early 1900’s, and if you know anything about United States history, 1917 was when the United States initially got involved into World War 1. During a lot of major wars in the United States throughout the 1900’s, the draft notice was more oftenly used. It was used in major wars such as the Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and in the First World War. The draft notice would require all men aged 18 to 26 to register for the United States Selective Service. York being a man in between those ages was required to register. The first conflict comes when, unfortunately, York is selected to serve in the army and fight in the war, despite the fact he is responsible for helping his family and even has a girlfriend at home. The secondary conflict appears when we take a deeper dive at York’s religious beliefs and practices. York was raised as a Christian and found his morals and made most of his decisions based of Christianity and the Bible. York found himself basing his entire life around the word of the Bible, especially on the ten commandments. One of the ten commandments especially stuck with York the most, and that one was “thou shalt not kill”. York found the ten commandments to be the core aspects and rules to follow at all times, so you can see why him being forced into the army to fight a war against other men was a huge deal and massive conflict to him and his family and friends. While I was reading this specific part in the book, I found myself genuinely curious and anxious about what would happen to York and what he would do to get out of this situation. He brought up a really good point saying that if he goes to fight in the war, then he isn’t a good Christian. But if he stays home and avoids the draft, then he is a bad American. This simple saying left me dawning on this book for hours at a time thinking about what I would have to do in this situation and how I would get out of it. The fact that York in this book was so relatable to me made this all the better. York is a young Christian man who lives in the southern United States, and I am also a young christian man growing up in the southern United States. It was also interesting because the same interests he shared in the book were the same things that I was interested in. After dawning on this for a little bit, I continued to read to find out that York actually found refuge in his church and sought out answers to help him with his problems. His church told him that there was a difference between “kill” and “Murder” and how God wishes for you to obey your Earthly leaders as well. After reading this, I then learned how I can apply this to my life so I can become a better person. I need to deeply think and understand all the problems that I am in and then seek help from experienced people who can help me overcome these problems.
I am not a very big book fan by any means, but I was invested throughout the entire book. It also taught me how to weigh my options. York had a lot of options to choose from, and both of them had pros and cons. It really made me think, “what would be the best option here,” or, “if I am in the situation, what should I do?”. I 100% recommend this book for any person who is looking for either a Christian, historical, or classical read. As a Christian and American, like York, his experience and novel had opened my eyes for the better and I guarantee it will for you as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2024
I read the book Sergeant York. Tom Skeyhill edited the book. It's a biography and it has York’s letters in it from his diary. Skeyhill went to Sergeant York and asked questions to write a book about him. Alvin York was born in 1887 in the mountains, and he started shooting when he was young. Because his skill with guns was so good, he always had food on the table to eat. Later, he was drafted into the US Army. He did not want to go because the Bible says that he should not kill. Later, he was forced to be in the army and had to fight. In company G, 328 infantry, 82 division. His bravery in World War I made him a hero, and he got the Medal of Honor. After the war, he was greeted by people who loved him and welcomed him to his home country. He went back to Tennessee and settled down with Gracie, his wife.
I did not like this book because it was very long, and Skeyhill took a long time to explain the simple things. I feel like he did not have to add all the chapters because there were some that were not needed. The war part was fun, but there were a lot of names to remember, and that was confusing. I did not like how he kept saying the same thing over and over again. I was really bored halfway through the book because it was so long. I like how he was brave when he was pinned down and didn't give up.
I would not recommend this book because I think that it was too long and was very slow. It is hard to remember things and it uses numbers that the U.S military uses. This book is good for 7th to 8th graders because they will understand it more than the 3rd or 4th graders.
I did not like this book because it was very long, and Skeyhill took a long time to explain the simple things. I feel like he did not have to add all the chapters because there were some that were not needed. The war part was fun, but there were a lot of names to remember, and that was confusing. I did not like how he kept saying the same thing over and over again. I was really bored halfway through the book because it was so long. I like how he was brave when he was pinned down and didn't give up.
I would not recommend this book because I think that it was too long and was very slow. It is hard to remember things and it uses numbers that the U.S military uses. This book is good for 7th to 8th graders because they will understand it more than the 3rd or 4th graders.
November 12, 2023
What a beautiful autobiography!
Obviously many World War I memoirs are filled with sadness, and Alvin York’s matches that at times when it tugs at our heart as he tenderly speaks of praying for the German soldiers that he is mission bound to kill.
As one of the most highly decorated soldiers in history, you would expect bravado and dominance, but instead from beginning to end he yearns for peace. His biggest takeaway from the war is that the people in his little valley need education. His rejection of fame and fortune because he didn’t want to benefit from the darkness of war show deep and firm character.
This story is brave and bold. He is remarkable as a soldier and war hero, but he is further remarkable as the “singing elder” in his church. His wrestling with reconciling his pacifist tendencies with his belief that the government has a role in bringing about peace is profound.
This is one of the most remarkable autobiographies you will ever read.
Obviously many World War I memoirs are filled with sadness, and Alvin York’s matches that at times when it tugs at our heart as he tenderly speaks of praying for the German soldiers that he is mission bound to kill.
As one of the most highly decorated soldiers in history, you would expect bravado and dominance, but instead from beginning to end he yearns for peace. His biggest takeaway from the war is that the people in his little valley need education. His rejection of fame and fortune because he didn’t want to benefit from the darkness of war show deep and firm character.
This story is brave and bold. He is remarkable as a soldier and war hero, but he is further remarkable as the “singing elder” in his church. His wrestling with reconciling his pacifist tendencies with his belief that the government has a role in bringing about peace is profound.
This is one of the most remarkable autobiographies you will ever read.
August 13, 2023
Very enjoyable book to read. You can hear Alvin York saying nearly every word. Of course that means Gary Cooper’s voice for me since I’ve seen that movie dozens of time. This book does a great job of describing where York came from, how the people from his region came to be, and, of course, his journey through WWI and his great success in the Argonne Forest. Strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great person to learn about!
October 5, 2023
Read it or you’re a fool.
May 27, 2024
Wonderful testimony
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews