Great movie, two points I took from it:
1. How much they portrayed him as anguishing as far as giving the nation's enemies a killing. Contentious Objectors are usually troublemakers in today's volunteer force. They scam us for paid schooling or want to get out of something.
I would say they want to get out of killing people, simple as that. (for the most part) I would guess it would depend on the variables during the enlistment, IE war time/peace time. I would agree that some may join during peace time mainly for the benefits, then war breaks out they claim CO ( contentious objector) and run to Canada.
I knew a WW11 vet when I was a kid, he was a friend of my fathers and went to our church. His name was Desmond T Doss, He was a CO, but instead of not going to war he became a medic. As a marine, he was in the pacific campaign and ended up winning the congressional medal of honor. great story if you want to google him.
Alvin C York, I think came to the same conclusion as many do, It may be the lesser "evil" to participate in an effort to SAVE lives by doing your best effectively to hasten the end result.
Hero is a big word, I think there are allot of heroes, some who never knew it, or were never in the position to exploit it. I think the conditions can arise and the one with the character or the ability to ignore fear and get the job done by overcoming the problem would be your "hero". He/ she would put their welfare behind the welfare of others.
In that thought I would mention Audie Murphy, perfect representative of a hero, when push came to shove, he took care of business.
My FIL is a hero to me. He enlisted at 16 (lied about his age) with the 101st Airborne, fought through Korea, all of Viet Nam. and allot of "small" stuff that doesn't make the news, ended up in the 82nd Airborne as Command Sgt Major at Ft. Bragg. 36 years of service to our country.
Another good movie if ya'll get the chance is "Random Harvest" based on WW1, doesn't have the war theme (fighting) not a factual movie, but a **** of a story line. Also made around the same time as Sgt York late 30's, 1939 I believe. ( 1939 was a heck of a production year).
Sorry for rambling
), of course I have not taken a whole battalion of the enemy prisoner, they just blow us up at random at night and smile at us during the day, what a different war.
