All at once, York saw seven Germans coming at him through the trees. He thought fast, then fired at the man farthest away from him. The other Germans did not see the man fall, so they did not open fire. The others came on and fell one by one.
York then ordered the German major to blow his whistle to call off the firing. The Germans came down the hill and gave up. He had about 80 or 90 there. But they had another line of Germans to go through to get out.
So York made the German prisoners line up in two’s and he got between. He had the major in front of him. He marched them into those other machine guns, and he got that nest, too.
Only six Americans had been killed and three wounded. On the march back to the American lines, the German soldiers again made a cover for the Americans.
For this act York got many medals – among them. The Medal of Honor. He came home from the war a hero.
He was a hero who kept his feet on the ground. He was also a good friend to his mountain neighbors. With his help, they built new schools and good roads. Today a school, where his own children went, bears his name.