Yesterday marked the 96th anniversary of then Cpl. Alvin C. Yorks action that would earn him the Medal of Honor. Nearly a century later, the family continues to serve in the 82nd. Here is the story. 96 Years Later: York’s Family Still Serves in the 82nd by 2/82nd PAO On October 8, 1918, a platoon from G Company, 2nd Battalion, 328th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Infantry Division, suffered a great number of casualties at the hands of the German army at Chatel-Chehery, France. A force of 17 Soldiers was ordered to infiltrate the German line and silence the machine guns raining fire on the platoon. With their mission accomplished, machine gun fire from a nearby ridge suddenly decimated the small group of Americans attempting to manage a number of enemy prisoners. Cpl. Alvin Cullium York, a Tennessee native and the highest ranking Soldier left alive, assumed command of the remaining seven. Under heavy fire, York led his small group of Soldiers toward the enemy machine gun positions. During this desperate assault, a number of German soldiers charged at York with fixed bayonets. York pulled out his pistol and killed all six of the German Soldiers. By the end of the engagement, York and his men captured a total of 132 enemy combatants. York received nearly 50 decorations, including the Medal of Honor, for his actions on that day. For a man who sought conscientious objector status for his religious beliefs, his actions became one of the most outstanding combat feats by a single person throughout the entirety of World War I. A century later, the name York continues to serve in the storied All American Division. Pfc. Jacob H. York, a cavalry scout with B Troop, 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, is a descendent of the larger than life war hero’s brother. With a lineage of military service dating as far back as the Civil War, Pfc. York feels it’s his responsibility to honor the family’s military tradition. “I try to fill the shoes as much as I can,” he said. He credits his father’s experience in the military for his own successes. “My dad joined the Army when I was only four,” he said. “Now that I’m in the Army, I look back in my childhood and realize that it was Army-structured. Growing up, I was always on base with my dad. I got used to being around Army-people. I look back at my childhood life and realized it was structured in a military way.” York recently impressed peers and chain of command alike when he graduated earlier this year from the U.S. Army Ranger School, one of the military’s most grueling and challenging courses. “When I got to Basic Training, all the drill sergeants talked was about going to Ranger School, and you hear about it growing up as a kid,” he said. “When I got here to the 82nd, they asked me what school I wanted to go to and the first one I said was Ranger School.” Even though some would argue that completing Ranger School pales in the shadow of his ancestor’s achievements, he feels it’s a step toward many other things he has planned for his Army career. “I’ll take any school that I can,” he said. “I just want to push my limits to see how far I can make it.” York recalls stories and photos his grandmother shared with him, such as how Alvin York would make money in shooting competitions. Jacob said his grandmother married Alvin’s brother, the couple having met on her family farm. It was on that farm where Alvin worked and honed his marksmanship skills: skills that would come into play on that fateful day in France in 1918. Jacob began to take an interest in Alvin and his accomplishments when he was in the fifth grade. “I remember coming home from school one day and telling my parents that I had to do a book report,” Jacob said. “My dad walked over to the bookshelf and grabbed a book and handed it to me and told me to read it.” York asked his father about the subject of the book and was told he was related to the renowned war-hero. Presently, Jacob York serves in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, an organization of Paratroopers charged with the role of the nation’s Global Response Force. Soon, York’s Brigade will shoulder the contingency-response mission. Before assuming the GRF mission, the Brigade must be certified at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana. Within a month of his graduation from Ranger school, Jacob and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team were on their way to Louisiana for training at JRTC in what would become the largest rotation ever conducted there. The Decisive Action Training Environment used there is complex, fast-paced and above all, challenging. He still hasn’t had enough and said he also plans to attend Special Forces training next year. When asked what he would want to do outside of a military career, he struggled to answer. “Every time someone asks me how long I’m going to stay in the Army I say until they kick me out,” he said.
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 21:51:30 +0000
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