I recently saw this video and couldn't help to think how much it applied to the Other Sixteen. We hope to now have your attention in a light-hearted way, but ask that you take the lesson from this video and use it, as you allow us to help you re-examine the facts as they have been compiled.
From the very beginning, and throughout the last ninety years, every investigation into this battle has come down to one thing: focus. What has been the focus of each investigation that has presented this story to the public? In 1919, the focus of the Official Army investigation, was to award Alvin York with the Medal of Honor. Each affidavit allegedly signed by the surviving members of this battle had, as its focus, the actions of Alvin York. We will provide an analysis of these affidavits from another perspective and point out their shortcomings within.
In 1929, the focus of the Army War College was a re-enactment of this battle, again focusing heavily on York. As the survivors began to assemble in Washington for this event and present their perspectives it became very clear, very quickly, that not all involved share the same opinion or recollection of what had transpired eleven years earlier. We will show the differing perspectives of these men in their own words, and how this event re-opened wounds for some of them. We will present information showing how this controversy, for a brief moment, was able to shift the focus; this shift lead to the DSC for Bernard Early and sparked an over decade long correspondence between Otis Merrithew and G.E. Buxton. Undeniable is the fact that through this correspondence and his further investigation, G.E. Buxton experienced a shift in his focus relative to this event.
We will also address the most narrowly focused presentation of this battle, and sadly for the Other Sixteen, the one that is most enduring, the 1941 Warner Bros. movie, Sergeant York. While there clearly is deserved admiration for the actions and character of Alvin York as portrayed in this film, to express that the other men were overlooked in its making is an understatement. We will present letters, articles and sworn statements contrary to the content of the film. We will also share the personal stories of these men, and the impact the final presentation in this film had on them.
Again and again, we will express the position that this site is not dedicated to the dismantling of the Alvin York legend; it is dedicated to the construction and raising up the Other Sixteen men of this detachment. People have always, and will always look for a heroes. Some we find on our own in our every-day lives, and some are presented to us on a grand stage. However, when a hero is presented to us on a grand stage we must be diligent and continue to examine the full story, as in this battle there is glory enough for all. Our men are like the bear in the video; it's easy to miss something you are not looking for. Please, shift your focus.
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