James Carl Nelson received the 2017 Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's Colonel Joseph Alexander Award for Biography for I Will Hold: The Story of USMC Legend Clifton B. Cates, from Belleau Wood to Victory in the Great War. A former staff writer for the Miami Herald, he is the author of two previous histories of the First World War, Five Lieutenants: The Heartbreaking Story of Five Harvard Men Who Led America to Victory in World War I and The Remains of Company D: A Story of the Great War. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Alvin York's story has never been told better. With riveting detail and fast-paced drama, The York Patrol is a must read. - Mitchell Yockelson, author of Well researched. ... Military history buffs will savor learning the truth behind this WWI legend. - Publishers Weekly Exhaustively researched. ... A conscientious account. - Wall Street Journal James Carl Nelson offers a well-crafted account of the exploit that earned York the Medal of Honor, while also crediting the other men-unjustly forgotten-who also performed deeds of valor alongside him that day. An important and exciting book. - Edward G. Lengel, chief historian, Medal of Honor Museum, and author of Never in Finer Company: The Men of the Great War's Lost Battalion An admiring but realistic account of an American hero well suited to any WWI buff. - Kirkus Reviews James Carl Nelson has again combined thorough research with commanding prose to bring a fascinating true story from the Western Front to living color. The York Patrol not only pulls the authentic Alvin York away from the legend surrounding his heroism, it gives long-overdue voice to the sixteen men who fought alongside him on that October morning in the Argonne Forest. This is exceptional military history worthy of its heroic subject. - MATTHEW J. DAVENPORT, author of First Over There: The Attack on Cantigny, America's First Battle of World War I Dramatic. ... A stirring account of an important incident and time in American history. - Booklist Nelson tells it all. ... His rendering is more complete and more reliable than the 1941 movie. ... Alvin York was a bona fide hero, whose memory is fading fast in this era when heroes are thin on the ground. Nelson's book is a good reminder. - American Spectator An outstanding account of York's life and actions. ... A worthwhile read for anyone interested in learning about an unlikely hero from one of the world's most devastating conflicts. - HistoryNet