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WWI hero Alvin York--a conversation with his daughter Betsy York-Lowery

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Sgt. Alvin York's daughter, Betsy departs the family homestead in Pall Mall, TN with WWI reenactor
Tom Wilmer
Sgt. Alvin York's daughter, Betsy departs the family homestead in Pall Mall, TN with WWI reenactor

In honor of Sergeant York’s birthday (born December 13, 1887) we re-share a visit to his family farmstead in Pall Mall, Tennessee for a visit with his daughter, Betsy and granddaughter Deborah.

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer in Pall Mall, Tennessee. Wilmer visits with World War I U.S. Army hero Sergeant Alvin York’s daughter, Betsy Ross York-Lowery and great-granddaughter, Deborah York, at the family’s farmhouse.

Sgt. Alvin York's homestead in Pall Mall, Tennessee
Tom Wilmer
Sgt. Alvin York's homestead in Pall Mall, Tennessee

A pacifist, York reluctantly went to war and wound up one of America’s most highly decorated heroes.
Recipient of the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, York killed 25 and single-handedly captured 132 German soldiers during final offensive of WW1 in the Meuse-Argonne forest of France, just weeks before the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918.

Betsy York-Lowery
Betsy York-Lowery

He returned to his rural hometown and commenced a lifelong quest to build schools and provide opportunities for the disenfranchised rural children throughout the Cumberland Gap region of Tennessee.

Pall Mall TN news article about Sgt. York returning from fighting in WWI
Library of Congress
Pall Mall TN news article about Sgt. York returning from fighting in WWI

In addition to sharing fascinating tales about her great grandfather’s heroic modesty on and off the battlefield, Deborah York, executive director of the Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation, offers insights about the nonprofit’s mission to continue Sergeant York’s lifelong passion for education and honoring U.S. military veterans.

Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer is featured on the NPR Podcast Directory
KCBX/NPR
Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer is featured on the NPR Podcast Directory

You are invited to subscribe to the Award-winning travel podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast DirectoryApple Podcastand more than twenty other podcast hosting sites including iHeartRadio and Spotify

Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas Award-winning podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcast features the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts — everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
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