I stumbled across this and figured there would be others that would be interested in it.
Archeology and documentation that has surfaced prove that the famous story of Sgt. Alvin York capturing 132 Germans single-handedly is a myth. The real story is that there were actually 16 other men with him, firing their weapons and helping him to capture the Germans. Also, it was actually a different sergeant that took over leadership of the attack after the officer originally leading the attack was wounded. The other men involved were denied recognition by two officers that wanted to create a big hero story to enhance their own reputations in the hope of avoiding post-war Army cut-backs. It is likely that they chose York to be the sole hero because the others were recent immigrants and his status as a conscientious objector made for a better story.
Archeology and documentation that has surfaced prove that the famous story of Sgt. Alvin York capturing 132 Germans single-handedly is a myth. The real story is that there were actually 16 other men with him, firing their weapons and helping him to capture the Germans. Also, it was actually a different sergeant that took over leadership of the attack after the officer originally leading the attack was wounded. The other men involved were denied recognition by two officers that wanted to create a big hero story to enhance their own reputations in the hope of avoiding post-war Army cut-backs. It is likely that they chose York to be the sole hero because the others were recent immigrants and his status as a conscientious objector made for a better story.
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