Descendants of Medal of Honor soldier and founding American Legion member Alvin C. York receive a donation from Post 252 after a special event March 16 in Greenwood, Ind.

Family of Sgt. York helps Post 252 celebrate Legion birthday

American Legion Post 252 in Greenwood, Ind., invited some special guests for its party March 16 to celebrate the organization’s 105th birthday – family members of one of the most revered figures in U.S. military history, Alvin C. York.

The Tennessee-born deadeye marksman who received the Medal of Honor in World War I for shooting down an estimated 25 enemy soldiers and taking another 132 prisoner on Oct. 8, 1918, attended the formative Paris Caucus of The American Legion after the armistice and was a dedicated member of the organization for the rest of his life. His military service began as a conscientious objector, a stance he would later change in order to defend his country and protect the freedoms of others.

The American Legion birthday party in Greenwood featured a screening of the Academy Award-winning 1941 movie “Sgt. York,” starring Gary Cooper. Among four York family members who participated was Ronnie York, a member of Post 252. The post donated $1,000 to the Sergeant York Patriotic Foundation during the event, which included displays of artifacts related to the life and legacy of the man who ranked fourth in a 2014 American Legion poll to list the nation’s most beloved veterans.

Legionnaires and veterans of the 82nd Airborne Division (York served in the 82nd, under one of the earliest American Legion founders, Col. G. Edward Buxton) filled the upstairs banquet room of Post 252 for the special event, where Department of Indiana Southern Vice Commander Joe Allen joined York’s great grandson in cutting The American Legion birthday cake.