Sgt. York got the glory - with help, they say

IT WAS 90 years ago today that 17 U.S. soldiers - including two Philadelphians - attacked a German machine-gun nest in the heart of France's Argonne Forest.

As the story goes, Sgt. Alvin C. York of Tennessee, a former conscientious objector, single-handedly killed 28 German soldiers and captured 132 others. He won a Medal of Honor and became popularly known as the greatest hero of World War I.

Of the 16 other members of York's 82nd Infantry Division, some were awarded Silver Stars and one received the Distinguished Service Cross, but many died without recognition.

Now, a group of their descendants is challenging the claim that York acted alone on that fateful day.

"No one knows exactly what happened, but it wasn't a one-man effort," said Robert D'Angelo Jr., great-nephew of Sgt. Bernard Early, commanding officer of York's unit.

D'Angelo, 53, grew up in New Haven, Conn., hearing stories about his great-uncle's experiences in World War I. The story of York and the "other 16" stayed with him, and last year he began searching for the truth behind the myth.

He set out to find relatives of the 16, hoping they might have photos, letters and personal stories that would shed light on the events of Oct. 8, 1918.

He has located descendants of eight of the 16 men, including a surviving child, Lorraine Fallon, daughter of Cpl. Otis Merrithew.

The group of relatives has spent the last year investigating family histories.

"We're resurrecting something that was very important to our relatives," D'Angelo said. "They fought during their lives for recognition, but for one reason or another never received much of it."

In South Philly after the war

D'Angelo has yet to find relatives of either Pvt. George Wills or Pvt. William Wine, the unit's two soldiers from Philadelphia.

Little is known about Wine, who was killed in action on Oct. 8.

Wills, however, survived the battle, and surfaced in a 1929 article in the Dunkirk (N.Y.) Evening Observer.

The article described him as living in a small house "near the city dumps" in South Philadelphia and operating a feed wagon for a living. The article also mentions a wife and two young sons.

Several years later, someone from Warner Bros. Pictures visited Wills and asked him to sign a release for his name to be used in the 1941 film "Sergeant York," in which Gary Cooper portrayed York and won an Academy Award for best actor.

D'Angelo said that Wills was found living in the same place but that his family and job had disappeared and he was scavenging old metal to sell.

"A lot of these men lived very hard lives," D'Angelo said. "Many of them were immigrants, and many were drafted almost immediately after they stepped off the boat."

D'Angelo said he thinks the fact that so many of the men in the unit were new Americans contributed to their not receiving as much recognition as York.

"America needed a hero, and Sergeant York was a natural choice," D'Angelo said. "He was a grammar-school dropout from Tennessee, a religious man who was originally a conscientious objector to the war. It made for a great story."

D'Angelo and the other descendants of York's unit declined invitations to a memorial event in France to honor the 90th anniversary of the battle. The event involved a weeklong trek across the Western Front battlegrounds of France and the unveiling of a bronze bust of Sgt. York, but no mention of the "other 16."

"We want to see the story told correctly," D'Angelo said.