Because of his objections, he was called before his company commander, George Buxton. For several weeks, the two spoke openly about Alvin's convictions and soon he convinced Alvin that God sometimes ordains war as moral and necessary. Alvin finally agreed to fight.
On April 10, 1918, the 82nd Division began the long journey to France and the trenches of World War One. From May to July, the Division trained with the British 66th Division at Picardy and the French Eighth Army at Lorraine. From the end of July through September, the Division occupied and controlled two sectors of the Allied lines at Lucey and Marbache. On September 12th, the Division engaged the enemy for the first time in the St. Mihiel campaign. Alvin's unit, 328th Inf, in connection with the attack of the 90th Div against the Bois-le-Pretre, advances on the west of the Moselle River, and, in contact with the right of the 360th Inf (90th Div), enters Norroy, and reaches the heights just north of that town where it consolidates its position. Sept 15, 328th Inf, in order to provide flank protection for the 90th Div, resumes the advance, reaches Vandieres and the hill 400 m northwest thereof, but withdraws on the following day to the high ground 1 ¼ km north of Norroy. .
After St. Mihiel, the 82nd Division returned to their sector at Marbache until October when they were tasked with supporting the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. It was here that Alvin distinguished himself in combat. On October 8, 1918, Corporal Alvin C. York and sixteen other soldiers under the command of Sergeant Bernard Early were dispatched before sunrise to take command of the Decauville railroad behind Hill 223 in the Chatel-Chehery sector of the Meuse-Argonne sector. The seventeen men, due to a misreading of their map (which was in French not English) mistakenly wound up behind enemy lines. A brief fire fight ensued which resulted in the confusion and the unexpected surrender of a superior German force to the seventeen soldiers.
