Born and raised in the hills of Tennessee, he was a hard fighting, heavy drinking "hillbilly" until he became a Christian.  A deadly shot with a rifle, he won every shooting competition when shooting at wild game.  But when he was called to service in World War I, he believed in his heart it was wrong to kill another human being.

Struggling between his conscience and his duty to his country, he saw in the evil that threatened Europe a reason to serve, and a purpose for which to fight.  One fateful day in 1918 he was faced with the decision to kill or see the men of his company quickly slaughtered by the enemy.  In that day he made a tough decision, becoming what one General called "the greatest American soldier of all-time"...single-handedly killing 25 enemy, silencing an amazing 35 enemy machine guns, and capturing an unprecedented 132 prisoners.

Returning home a celebrity, he was deluged with offers of great value to commercialize his exploits.  His reply, "This uniform ain't for sale."   Instead, he devoted his time to building a school in the backwoods of Tennessee to give to other children, the benefit of an education he had never been privileged to posses.