Sergeant Alvin C. York & Audie L. Murphy: (Jerry Skinner Documentary)

hello I'm Jerri Skinner today we're going in search of World War one in World War two most decorated heroes sergeant Alvin C York a World War one an audio element of World War two both of these men received the Congressional Medal of Honor and let's go and see if we can find out just exactly what makes these men so special let's start first with sergeant York and let's head to East Tennessee and see what we can find out about him this is the sergeant Alvin C York that most of us are familiar with the world war 1 military zebra these are the beautiful East Tennessee mountains that Alvin Cullen York was born in on the 13th day of December in eighteen and eighty-seven from Nashville to Knoxville if you're on highway 40 at Crossfield go north on 127 this will take you to the beautiful Wolf River Valley at pale mall Tennessee the home of Sergeant York this is sergeant your smother and daddy William and Mary York when Alvin was 24 in nineteen and 11 his father died his older two brothers were gone and so this left Alvin to take care of his mother and younger siblings now this house here on the left the part on the left is the original house it was a one-room and this is where Alvin was born and raised the other part was put on later they live close to the river your was enlisted in the military in 1970 when he was 29 years old unlike the movie sergeant York that starred Gary Cooper York said that he always bleed that a man should fight for his country that it was his mother and his pastor that decided that they was going to try to get him out own grounds that he didn't want to fight and that he was also the only provider for the house but on October the 18th 19 and 18 the then corporal York and his company was headed for the Argonne forest in France they found themselves behind enemy lines and immersed in heavy fighting the Germans had killed sergeant early and half of the unit now this left sergeant York who was a corporate to time in charge York without personal thought of danger armed only with a 1903 Springfield rifle and a 45 caliber pistol charged a machine-gun nest and picked off several machine gunners then killing and shooting in seven enemy soldiers that was charging at him with fixed bayonets then using his skills as a marksman that had learned in early life systematically picked off several enemy soldiers and this forced them to surrender said that after the battle to counted 26 dead soldier the German major in charge surrender to your 132 soldiers and four officers this is York in the original location three months before the end of the war this is how it looks today for his heroic actions General John J Pershing awarded York the Medal of Honor along with 40 other accommodations and awards this is the Medal of Honor the highest award that a u.s. the u.s. can bestow on an American soldier this is York with his mother and sister after returning home from the war after receiving a ticker-tape parade in New York sergeant York turned down several offers for money and to even become even more famous than he was in order to go home and marry his longtime sweetheart Gracie Williams they were married soon after he arrived back home they were made by the governor of the state of Tennessee and actually spent their honeymoon in the governor's mansion this is the sergeant York and mrs. Gracie as she was calls home they raised all of their kids here the state of Tennessee and donations from American citizens presented this to sort at York in 1922 it's now a state park and the park ranger is Andrew York one of Alvin and graces ten kids there are also other family members that work here andrew stated that it's a great job coming home where you was raised each day to tell people about your mother and daddy by the way there's no charge to go through the house this is a pictures swords at York in later years sitting in front of it home now the Ranger thats on the telephone is Andrew York the son of Ali this room here on the right is a room that Alvin Jordan used as a bedroom after suffering a serious stroke in 1954 he was bedridden for almost 10 years this bed was electric bed it was a gift from the from Tennessee Governor Buford Ellington this is sergeant York's grandson in my earn his medal the families stated that everything is exactly the way it was even the wallpaper rugs on the floor and even the pictures are still hung in the same locations that's a picture of Miss Gracie and they say that they have several thousand visitors they come every year to the York estate picture at their metal lower part is in the picture of the entire family there were ten kids all together but only seven survived this is the dining room the York's would sometimes serve as many as a hundred people for dinner it was a standing policy in New York home to feed anyone who is there at mealtime this was sometimes of a natural burden on the York's as sergeant York refused to accept offers for endorsements that might reflect badly on the American uniform by stating that the American uniform was not for sale his son Andrew stated that his dad could have been a millionaire if he had accepted all the offers he received andrew also stated that at one time eleven people leo dendi york house including him and his wife and two kids you these are some of the dedications that start at your attended this is a picture of a general store that Alan opened and they had a general store and also a grist mill later on it was located across the road from his house and he did this to make a living this store quickly became the center of community activities you you you they were five bedrooms located upstairs and was such a large family every room was filled this house had no electricity and running water until 1946 that's about it though Alvin's mother's body you this is downstairs a little library that he had but before that he he had moved his mother Mary in and she lived with him for several years until she passed away in 1943 remember his daddy had died in 1911 so when he come back he took care of his mother in later years sergeant York became convinced that education was the only way to achieve world peace York became interested in creating scoob's which he did for the mountain kids to be able to be educated and how they change in life even took the part of the money that he got from the movie about him and started a scope and and in that movie I think Gary Cooper actually won the Oscar that year we're back upstairs again noticed a little handmade crib for babies Andrew York stated that he was raised in that crib and so we saw the rest of his brothers and sisters your kid not only gave most of his money to support his scoob's he also said that he would take any profit that he made from speaking engagements and also donate them to the scutes this is a picture of the house that he was born in that was a very noble gesture on his part ever it wasn't very practical because he had a big family they had lots of bills his self and later on he got into trouble with the IRS because they didn't want to accept his donation to schools as a charity for several years they hounded him and then the Speaker Sam Rayburn realizing the injustice that had been done set up a fund on his behalf and the debt was almost paid off in 1961 President Kennedy also condemned the IRS disallowing Yorke's donations to education as charity as a national disgrace you the way they really look went right there that's why directly 66 year old okay projects they said yeah 60 but your baby seals out again not even though he was raising some she was already she was Frazier she coming or 15 years off maybe I'm taking one here here yeah we just register hey let's take credit for the got pretty good time that's now you can really give it your six year my day wasn't bad I was like a [ __ ] money Eagle are absent I fix it myself he like two more potatoes with a jacket I we were good from anything I think about them element but letter assault and kind of any planning a pretty job at man good any case get incorporated will make the bottom here that's not what he doesn't owe entry pick the lock and also said that the talk of the marksmanship of his father was actually true that he could hit a flying bird with a 22 rifle you on the second day of September and 1964 at the Veterans Hospital in Nashville Tennessee sorted Alvin Cullen York died he was 76 years old the Governor of Tennessee wanted to leave Alvin and stayed at the Capitol building but the family refused and instead brought him home and he was laid in stayed in the sunroom of his home here over 8,000 people that attended his funeral he's buried among his family and friends at the Wolf River Cemetery within a quarter of a mile of his home you can actually walk from his house to the graveyard you miss Gracie passed away the 20th day of seventh day of September and nineteen and eighty-four this is one of their sons this is another son you we've left the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee and now we're hitting for the Blackland periods of East Texas and see what we can find out about Audie Murphy when you get to Greenville Texas it's located between Dallas and Texarkana off of Interstate 30 take Highway 16 and north and this is the Audie Murphy Memorial Highway this is lieutenant Audie Murphy the most decorated soldier in World War two this is lieu temper he were in a few of the medals including the Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor he also had three purple hearts lieutenant Murphy one ever medal that the United States can award you you only a few miles north of Greenville you'll see a plaque on the east side of the highway this is dedicated to the birthplace of Audie Murphy you you some 400 yards east of this sign on the 20th of June 1924 Audie Leon Murphy was born to Emmitt and Josie Murphy the Murphy house no longer stands but this is a picture of the Murphy house sometimes after the family had moved out you can see a four out in the country that they lived especially if you can imagine it high it was in 1924 this is Audie and three of your siblings this is Audi's mother Josie along with six of hernand surviving kids this is looking north on highway 16 aim towards the closest little town to the Murphy's which was Kingston this is one of the places that the Murphy's later lived in it was a converted railroad boxcar now I only quit school in the fifth grade and later went to work in this gas station in Greenville when audio was 16 years old his father Emmitt walked off and left the family behind never to be seen or heard of again this was devastating to OD into the family now we're back on highway 30 interstate in Greenville from here take exit 95 and go to the north side of Interstate 32 the audio feed museum now one year after Emmet left the family Josie Audis mother was sick and passed away this was devastating also Doughty who was only 17 years old at the time because the three younger children were placed in an orphanage so on audio's 18th birthday he joined the US Army and was placed in the infantry now this was after being turned down by the Marine Corps and the paratroopers because they thought he was too small to fight he stood 5 foot 4 inches tall and he weighed every bit of a hundred and ten pounds you this is a monument dedicated to Audi and this is the entrance to the Audie Murphy Museum in Greenville now these are pictures that was taken during the training that Aldi received but he first got in the military and his superiors tried to convince him to become a clerk or maybe to work in the bakery but all he wouldn't leave his unit finally his superiors agreed to let him go along with his unit by the time it Murphy had reached southern France he had already won the Bronze Star for disabling a German tank under heavy gunfire promoted to sergeant Murphy's unit later moved further into France they were pinned down by heavy machine-gun fire when private laddie Tipton Audis closest friend followed him up the hill to take home the machine-gun nest the Germans after the two had throwed in hand grenades raised a white flag of surrender private Tipton raised up thinking to accept their surrender when sergeant Murphy hollered at him to stay down the Germans opened fire and killed Tipton immediately Murphy went into a rage over Tipton's death to enhance into the nest killing all the ones that had raised the white flag he then picked up the undamaged German machine gun running towards two other German nests killing them all his me and located further down the hill said that he was yelling out curses at him to come and hit him you for this action sergeant Murphy received the Distinguished Service Cross which he litter later on he gave it to Tipton's daughter Murphy stated that lady was the bravest man at he ever knew and that he got medals for his actions but laddie Tipton only got death for his bravery on October the 14th 1944 Murphy received a battlefield commission at 2nd lieutenant even though he only had a fifth-grade education two weeks later lieutenant Murphy was shot in a hip by a German sniper although wounded lieutenant Murphy killed the sniper that had shot him and on January 26 1945 Murphy returned to his unit after three days three months stay in a hospital his small unit was facing six German tanks with infantry support two American tank killers had been knocked out lieutenant Murphy ordered his men to stay back and dig in while he stayed up front and called in fire support when the enemy got within 30 yards he climbed aboard a disabled American tank killer and began firing a 50 caliber machine gun he started killing the German infantry and although several sneaked around to the side he saw him and he killed them too and that left the German tanks exposed and they began retreating Murphy only stopped firing when his gun run out of ammunition after jumping off the burning vehicle and inspiring his men to take the offensive then didn't Murphy realize that he had been wounded in the leg he was asked later on what he was thinking while he was firing at the enemy he said he realized for the first time in three days his feet were warm for this action lieutenant Murphy received the Congressional Medal of Honor you service arrowhead a legion of merit to Silver Star medal the Distinguished Service Cross and from the French government through cordon air with palm and the region of Honor chef ahi on this memorable day in his life he was awarded his country's highest decoration the Congressional Medal of Honor this is a replica of the medals that Lou tuck Murphy received you you this is the famous Life magazine picture that James Cagney saw an invited audience rise hand at moviemaking you you this is the entrance to the Audie Murphy Museum in Greenville it's believed that Audie Murphy during his three years of military service personally killed over 250 enemy soldiers leaving deeper scars than just physical ones in 1949 od married starlet Wanda Hendricks the marriage only lasted 15 months this is audience print a member of the Masonic Lodge for 27 in Tulsa Oklahoma this was in 1952 Oddie would visit the lodges because he was a master mason himself this is the mayor of Bakersfield California and Oddie this is Odie and a friend at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona in 1957 four days after his first divorce he made Pamela Archard they had two boys Terry and James and this is the last home that already lived him before he was killed Audie Murphy suffered from proach post-traumatic stress disorder but at that time nobody knew what that was he had difficulty sleeping he had really recent real Korean nightmares he heard none existent noises he had to sleep with the lights on and he kept a loaded pistol under his pillow this is Odeon one of his sisters all he actually converted his garage into a bedroom for himself to keep from disturbing his family at night this is a later picture of body this is a vest worn by Aldi and one of his over 40 movies that he made to hell him back was a biography of Audis military exploits released in 1955 it became universals largest moneymaker it actually stayed that way until jaws come out in 1975 this movie here was a time to dive was released in 1971 right after all his death this movie was his last one that he had made and he was it was the only time that he ever produced a movie himself and two of his sons both of them made appearances in this movie howdy once told one of his directors that you have to remember I'm working under a handicap no talent this picture right here all deal of more than in during his movie career because the little cowboy next to America's two-year-old son Terry you you on the 28th day of May in 1971 a twin-engine aerial commander plane number in 601 departed DeKalb Peachtree Airport in Atlanta Georgia around nine o'clock a.m. it was bound for Martinsville Virginia Audie Murphy and Jack Littleton who was from Fort Collins Colorado were on a business trip to inspect the prefabricated buildings planned they were planning on him to investing in the company other passengers included Claude Crosby Raymond Prather and Tim Doughty the pilot Herman Butler at only six hours in the Aero commander and was not instrument-rated when the plane reached the mountains of southwestern Virginia around 11:00 a.m. it began to rain and fog moved in visibility was near zero not able to fly by histor much the plane made several unsuccessful attempts to land at 12:08 p.m. the plane crashed into Brushy Mountain there were no survivors this is an instrument panel from that plane cause of bad weather and no flat plan that was filed in 601 was not discovered until three days later they placed a monument at the side of the crash you you you howdy Lian Muirfield was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors Joan william Westmoreland was in attendance this message is sent by the president of United States Audis wife and two sons were present he was 46 years old you there were so many Fisher's to come and visit his grave that they actually had to dance it off so that people wouldn't work walk on the graves an audio fish great is the second most visited grave in Arlington National Cemetery next to President Kennedy Audie Leon Murphy was not only the most decorated soldier in World War two but Audi lui on Murphy was the most decorated us smoker in American history you you

Channel: Jerry Skinner

Views: 1,074,521

Rating: 4.8257623 out of 5

Keywords: Alvin C. York (Military Person), Audie Murphy (Military Person)

Id: RBXppkaA8t4

Length: 57min 28sec (3448 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 10 2015