Alvin York

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Targets Guy said:
Congressional Medal of Honor.
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Ivan the Butcher is correct! The Award is The MEDAL OF HONOR, commonly abbreviated to MOH, Awarded by Congress. There are three versions of the actual Medal, Army, Navy and Air Force, which are presenter according to the branch the recipient was in. So he was completely correct in saying the Army MOH.

If you are going to correct someone, no matter what the subject, you had better be right!
 
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Targets Guy said:
Congressional Medal of Honor.
Click to expand...

Danial Day is one of a very few Medal of Honor's "Twice recipients". Sargent Day's first is from the Army. Even though he was a Marine he was on an Army commanded mission. (I believe in the Dominican Republic) His second was from the Navy, from WW I.
All other two-time recipients are from the Army. All three MOH's are authorized by Congress.

"Come on you apes, You want to live forever?"
Danial Day

Ivan
 
I saw a special with an archeological team digging up York`s .45 spent shells in the exact place where his .45 pistol shooting incident happened in France, and they did find quite a number of them.In the movie, if I recall, his exploits were with a rifle. I don´t know if the rifle and the .45 pistol events were at the same time frame. I guess that this documentary is on YT.
Regards, Ray
 
Pisgah said:
About the only good thing to come out of such discussions is that all the "expert" opinions prompt me to look things up for myself...
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To paraphrase . . .

"The trouble . . . is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so." Ronald Reagan.


.
 
A few years ago I learned that there is a law against being awarded a third MOH, or Danial Day would have 3 or possibly 4! He also has an Army Distinguished Service Cross and a Navy Cross. (both are their services' second highest award)

The current version of the MOH is the 4th. The first awarding is in Bronze and the second is in Gold. If you see them in the movies, they look goofy! That is because Hollywood doesn't own a real one. Which is apparently, it is illegal to own. When I was 13 or 14 (ca. 1970) I saw one for sale for $400. I couldn't afford it anyway, but the green wreath enamel was all messed up and the ribbon wasn't strung properly. It must have been a forgery or a second that should have been destroyed.

I have a friend that is a retired Marine/Navy officer. We were talking about Sargent Day. He was saying Historically, Day was such a bad, drunk Marine, that it is unbelievable that he wasn't thrown out of the Corp! I replied that until WWI almost all career enlisted men were from orphanages, and had no other family than the Corp. The one thing they could count on Day for, When it came time for combat, Danial Day always brought his "A Game!"

Alvin York was a, what we call today: Born Again Christian. He tried to be a "Conscientious Objector", but at that time his denomination (Church of Christ) wasn't recognized by the government for their beliefs and was drafted anyway. We have all seen the movie and know about his shooting abilities. However for WWII the Army made him an officer and used him as a walking recruiting poster. He found out hundreds of good old boys from the hills were being declared 4F because they couldn't read! He campaigned for a training program to teach these men to read and induct them in the Army. By this several Battalions of expert marksmen became soldiers, and after the war these men received VA benefits and the better life that provided for them. I have a B-I-L that both of his grandfather's knew Alvin York and shot at meets with him regularly in the 1950's (Alvin hated getting beat! But it happened once and awhile.)

At one time in the 70's or 80's there were 15 MOH recipients living in Ohio, a local PBS station hade interviews with them all. What these men did, is truly "Above and Beyond!" Both during their service and after.

Ivan
 
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Major General Smedley Butler, once known as the most decorated US Marine, was awarded two Medals Of Honor. Apparently he would have won a third but in 1921 officers were not eligible to be awarded the Medal of Honor so he received a brevet. medal
 
Alk8944 said:
Ivan the Butcher is correct! The Award is The MEDAL OF HONOR, commonly abbreviated to MOH, Awarded by Congress. There are three versions of the actual Medal, Army, Navy and Air Force, which are presenter according to the branch the recipient was in. So he was completely correct in saying the Army MOH.

If you are going to correct someone, no matter what the subject, you had better be right!
Click to expand...


Take your own advice. There is no Army Medal of Honor. The highest award the Army gives is the DSC. AFC for the AF and Navy Cross for the Navy. The services nominate for the MOH. The congressional award is given not non existent service MOH.
 
One of the things on my Bucket list was a.......

.....visit to Pall Mall in the valley of Three Forks of the Wolf. Alvin York's home has been on my list since I first watched the movie as a child.
The folks that populated the valley were just like the folks I grew up around in the Ozarks.

I enjoyed the visit a few years ago with a tremendous reverence for the memory of one of our countries greatest heroes. Resting to the right of Sergeant York's grave is one of his sons, Thomas Jefferson York who killed in the line of duty in 1972 while serving as a Constable. The blood of Heroes!

Another son, Andrew Jackson York was the Tennessee State Park Superintendent at Alvin C. York State Park for years. He passed in Sptember of 2022.

Thank you Lord for giving me a wife who understands and patiently visit historic sites with me.
Thank you Lord for a family that produced men like Sergeant York.
We badly need more today.
 
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Ray said:
I saw a special with an archeological team digging up York`s .45 spent shells in the exact place where his .45 pistol shooting incident happened in France, and they did find quite a number of them.In the movie, if I recall, his exploits were with a rifle. I don´t know if the rifle and the .45 pistol events were at the same time frame. I guess that this documentary is on YT.
Regards, Ray
Click to expand...

York used his pistol when a German squad tried to rush him in a bayonet charge before he could reload his rifle if I remember correctly. As I recall he saw them, pulled out the pistol and started shooting. Knocked down each one in turn before they could reach him. This was all part of the same incident that led to his MOH award.
 
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desi2358 said:
York used his pistol when a German squad tried to rush him in a bayonet charge before he could reload his rifle if I remember correctly. As I recall he saw them, pulled out the pistol and started shooting. Knocked down each one in turn before they could reach him. This was all part of the same incident that led to his MOH award.
Click to expand...

As in hunting....He shot the rear man first and worked his way forward. The front not knowing what was going on behind them.
 
Ivan the Butcher said:
Danial Day is one of a very few Medal of Honor's "Twice recipients". Sargent Day's first is from the Army. Even though he was a Marine he was on an Army commanded mission. (I believe in the Dominican Republic) His second was from the Navy, from WW I.
All other two-time recipients are from the Army. All three MOH's are authorized by Congress.

"Come on you apes, You want to live forever?"
Danial Day

Ivan
Click to expand...

Sergeant Major Daniel J. Daly was awarded the first MOH for actions during the Boxer Rebellion. The second MOH was for action in Haiti in 1915. I do not know who "Danial Day" is???
 
Sam McCord said:
Sergeant Major Daniel J. Daly was awarded the first MOH for actions during the Boxer Rebellion. The second MOH was for action in Haiti in 1915. I do not know who "Danial Day" is???
Click to expand...

Thank you for the corrections! At least I had the right island for one of his MOH's.

I have a 3 (or 4) Great Uncle that was in Peaking for that little dust up with the Chinese. I doubt they ever met.

Ivan
 
Sgt York used the M1911 .45 automatic service pistol to kill 7 Germans, each with just one shot of 230 grain FMJ ammunition.

I firmly believe the M1911 is the finest fighting handgun ever and continues to be so even today. The Marines STILL issue a modernized version.
 
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