Biographer of World War I hero Alvin York wins $5,000 prize

NEW YORK (AP) — A biographer of one of World War I’s most famous veterans, Sgt. Alvin York, has won a $5,000 prize.

Officials announced Wednesday that Col. Douglas V. Mastriano won the William E. Colby Award for “Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne.”

The award, founded in 1999 and presented by Vermont-based Norwich University, is named for the late ambassador and CIA director. It’s given for outstanding works of fiction or nonfiction books about military history, intelligence operations or foreign affairs.

Mastriano is a veteran who served in the first Gulf War and the Afghanistan War.

Previous winners of the Colby Award include James Bradley, Marcus Luttrell and Dexter Filkins.