Pa. senator’s WWI book to be corrected
HARRISBURG >> The academic press that published a Pennsylvania state senator’s book about World War I hero Sgt. Alvin York has asked him to review a list of factual errors and sourcing issues in the book, and the press’ director said Tuesday that it plans to publish a corrected version early next year. University Press of Kentucky director Ashley Runyon outlined plans for the potential corrections and revisions to Sen. Doug Mastriano’s book in emails Tuesday to The Associated Press and to another researcher looking into York’s 1918 acts of heroism while fighting in France.
Runyon said the press “will allow the author the opportunity to respond to the sources in question before preparing our final list of errata and corrections for a new printing. The verified sources and other corrections will also be reviewed by an outside scholar for confirmation.”
She said the press does not typically ask for an outside review for reprints but was “adding this external layer of review to ensure the accuracy of any corrections in the reprint.”
Researchers have questioned Mastriano’s claim that he located York’s battle site with precision, identified erroneous footnotes and raised doubts about a photo that appears on the book’s cover. Mastriano claims the government photo shows York with prisoners from the famed battle, contradicting the military photographer’s caption. The AP also identified sourcing errors in the book in a story published six months ago.
Runyon said the University Press of Kentucky sent Mastriano a list of about 30 “queries,” some confirming typos and others seeking sources to back up information in the book. He was asked to respond by the end of October, Runyon said.
If he responds, the press and its outside peer reviewer will evaluate the material and incorporate it into a new printing, she said. If he does not, the press will suggest revisions and have the outside peer reviewer approve them.
York led a small group of badly outnumbered American soldiers behind German lines to disrupt machine gunfire in the woods of northern France during the waning weeks of the war. More than 20 German soldiers were killed and 132 captured, winning York widespread fame and a Medal of Honor.
Mastriano, a Republican who represents Franklin County, did not respond to messages left at his Capitol office and on his cellphone Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It feels like the integrity is coming back, hopefully this new edition next year will finally correct these issues that have been prevalent and help get the story back on track,” said James Gregory, a doctoral student in history at the University of Oklahoma who has researched the actions of other men in York’s unit.
In the 2014 book “Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne,” Mastriano repeatedly dismissed any notion that there is a legitimate dispute about the site where he claims this battle took place. He has claimed that “we know with certainty the location of the York action,” that it was “discovered with 100% certainty” and that it “has been located and verified.”
Mastriano’s research into York helped earn him a doctorate from the University of New Brunswick in Canada. But Gregory and others interested in York’s story argue Mastriano’s research is plagued with errors — small and large — and that a walking trail to the battle location that he helped build actually takes visitors to the wrong spot.
University of New Brunswick officials involved in reviewing Mastriano’s work indicated they do not discuss such matters without the consent of the student involved — in this case, Mastriano.