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Video by Staff Sgt. William Reinier

All American Legacy Podcast Episode 3 - An Army of One part 1

82nd Airborne Division

Jan. 24, 2017 | 31:18

In an Army of One part 1, we meet Sgt. Alvin York, the Division’s second Medal of Honor recipient. Master Sgt. Patrick Malone takes us to the hills of Appalachia in Tennessee to learn about the man who would single-handedly capture more than 130 German soldiers in a single battle in World War 1.

A pacifist, York originally did not want to fight in the Great War. He wanted to stay in the mountains of Tennessee. However, York found himself in the Argonne Forest in October 1918.

Lt. Col. Joe Buccino takes us to the Argonne and explains the situation that our Soldiers found themselves in. They were lost, outnumbered, less-trained, and less-experienced for the fight that lay ahead of them. York and his men appeared to have no chance of fighting their way out.

Finally, we meet Col. Douglas Mastriano, a military historian from the U.S. Army War College who dedicated more than 10 years to researching the events that transpired on October 8th, 1918. He spent more than 1,000 hours in the Argonne Forest conducting terrain analysis and matching it with known tactics used by German units in the region. His analytical approach to finding the truth leads to a compelling retelling of the battle in which York would receive the Medal of Honor. We'll share that retelling in this episode.

Learn more about Mastriano's journey of discovery in the book Alvin York: A New Biography, winner of the Crader Family Book Prize in American Values, and at his website: http://www.SgtYorkDiscovery.com/

Next week, we'll follow up on Sgt. Alvin York after the war and his role as the reluctant hero, his work to better education opportunities for children in his hometown, and his support for WWII and the reconstituted 82nd Airborne Division. We’ll speak with members of the York family including his great-nephew Sgt. Jacob York - who currently serves in the same Division as his great uncle.

This show is produced by the 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs Office and hosted by Master Sgt. Patrick Malone, Lt. Col. Joe Buccino, Staff Sgt. Will Reinier, and more!

Do you have a suggestion for the show? Email us at allamericanlegacy@gmail.com

You can also connect with us on social media at www.facebook.com/82ndAirborneDivision and www.twitter.com/82ndABNDiv

Tweet at us using #AALegacy and we’ll give you a shout out in our next show notes. This week, we want to thank Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin, Matthew MacRoberts, Greg Mize, Alex Licea, David Samoker, and Scott Trahan for sending us such great feedback from the first two episodes!

Make sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or where ever you listen to podcasts. Leave a rating and review and share this with your friends. Join us every Tuesday as we bring you weekly episodes from the center of the military universe - Fort Bragg.