There have always been armies, and each army has heroes. People have been forced to accomplish miracles in war. Some heroes have saved their friends. Some have survived many days with little food or water, and have been abandoned behind enemy lines. Some have miraculously captured hundreds of people. Courage in the face of injustice is seen through the faith, and bravery of people such as Alvin York, Chris Kyle, and Dakota Meyer, when they became heroes on the battlefield. Alvin C. York is the first example of a courageous person who went above and beyond on the battlefield, becoming a national symbol for heroism. Alvin was a faithful man, a brave man, and a good hearted man who did not even believe in fighting. Alvin York was born on December 13th, 1887 in Pall Mall Tennessee. Alvin York is from a small town. He grew up working on the family farm. In 1911, when Alvin’s father died, he became head of the household. He had older siblings, but they had moved on, and this left him in charge. He also worked for the railroad and this was not good for Alvin. His life-style made it easy for him to be given to drunkenness, and brawls. Alvin loved alcohol, and loved to fight. Alvin was arrested several times for …show more content…
They killed both Alvin’s commanders and they left Alvin in charge. York then took matters into his own hands. There was over thirty machine guns firing upon him and his friends. He told the others to stay put and stay down. He then made a daring choice. Alvin ran right up towards them and laid down. When the German machine gunners would look to see where he was, Alvin would shoot them. York told the commanding officers after the battle,“ As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me, I began to exchange shots with them. There were over thirty of them in continuous action, and all I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could.”-(Mastriano, Douglas. “The York Story.”) If this is not an example of bravery, then I do not know what is. Alvin York was under fire by over thirty machine guns and ran at them. He did so to prevent more American casualties. He took German lives to save lives. When he was about out of ammo, a German officer and five of his men came running out of the trench and down the hill towards him. Alvin drew his pistol and killed all of them. His battle filled tactics were derived from hunting methods he used in the hills of Appalachia. He killed all six by shooting the ones in the back first.