19. A Pacifist Sent to War
When America joined the World War I in 1917, there was little to indicate that Alvin Cullum York (1887 – 1964) would become one of the conflict’s most lethal heroes. York was born in a log cabin in rural Tennessee, the third of eleven children of impoverished but deeply devout parents. As a young man, he worked in railroad construction and as a logger to help the family make ends meet. On his downtime, he developed a reputation as a hell-raiser, and as a violent alcoholic who liked to fight in saloons.
Eventually, he underwent a religious conversion experience and became a pacifist. When he received his draft registration card after America joined the war, York requested an exemption as a conscientious objector. His request was denied, and he was drafted, sent to boot camp, then assigned to the 82nd Infantry Division. There, York got over his pacifism after his commanding officers used Biblical passages to convince him of the morality of fighting for a just cause. He was shipped to France, and by October 1918, he had been promoted to corporal.
