Free Republic

NAHANT - An old World War I artifact that was locked away in the attic of the library for decades and had most recently been stored in a police evidence locker has found a new home. A Maxim machine gun originally captured and retrieved by the 17 survivors of Sergeant Alvin York's platoon is about to embark on what may be its final journey to the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tenn. The gun was surrendered among other weapons in 1918 when 132 Germans were taken prisoner. The gun was sent to Nahant by Mayland Lewis, an Army clerk serving...

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~Sgt. Alvin C. York             BIOGRAPHYAlvin Cullum York (1887-1964) ended the First World War as one of America's most famous soldiers, with fame and popular recognition assured following a remarkable act of courage and coolness in October 1918.Having grown up in poverty the young York honed his skills as a...

PARIS - Nineteen .45-caliber cartridges buried in northeastern France may mark the spot where Sgt. Alvin York became America's most celebrated soldier of World War I, a research team said Thursday. The Sergeant York Discovery Expedition said that after four years of work, it found the cartridges buried 2 to 4 inches in soil near the village of Chatel-Chehery where York single-handedly took out a nest of German machine guns. But last March, a group led by academics from York's home state of Tennessee said they were "80 percent sure" they had found the spot where York carried out his...

Alvin Cullum York was born on December 13, 1887 at Pall Mall, Fentress County, Tenessee, the third of eleven children of William and Mary Brooks York. The tall, gangly red-headed lad was typical of rural American youth of the turn of the century, working hard and playing hard. Growing up in the mountains, Alvin, like most of his contemporaries, lived by his rifle. To young Alvin, the rifle was not a weapon to be used in a fight, but a tool to put meat on the table. He became an expert marksman, and won many a county turkey-shoot. His skill...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... . U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. . . Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family...

The New York Times referred to him as "the war’s biggest hero." General John J. Pershing, commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in World War I, called him "the greatest civilian soldier" of World War I. Upon this war hero’s death in 1964, President Lyndon Johnson issued a statement calling him "a symbol of American courage and sacrifice" who "epitomized the gallantry of American fighting men and their sacrifices in behalf of freedom." Few would have guessed at his humble birth in a one-room cabin on December 13, 1887 that Alvin Cullum York would receive such accolades later in life....