A Medal of Honor For A Native Son

A few days ago I mentioned, on the air, that I had run across some pretty solid evidence that Alexander Nininger, the first Medal of Honor recipient of World War II, was a native of Gainesville, Georgia. I asked for help - if anybody locally knew Nininger, or of him, please let me know. Well, I got a bunch of replies from people who knew of him as a resident of this town. But, let me also report what I found in an old issue of the Gainesville Eagle ... a five paragraph story under a small headline that reads: "Native Son Wins Highest War Award." "Second Lieutenant Alexander Ninninger, native of Gainesville and the grandson of the late Mr. W. Harve Craig, former editor of the Eagle, has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for exceptional bravery as a result of a report to President Roosevelt from General MacArthur .... This is the first instance of the highest United States award being authorized since the war started... The lieutenant, known here as a youth as `Sandy", voluntarily attached himself to another outfit engaged in fierce fighting against Japanese snipers ... Using a rifle and hand grenades, he fought forward and killed several enemy snipers and destroyed several small Jap units before he himself was killed. Ninninger's body, the general reported, was found beside those of a Jap officer and two Japanese soldiers. He was the son of the former Mrs. Myrtle Craig Ninninger and A. R. Ninninger. He lived here for a number of years during his childhood." That was from the Gainesville Eagle in 1942. As it becomes more and more apparent this Medal of Honor winner was a native of Gainesville, now the mystery shifts to why have we not honored him? Or have we? I still need your help.

This is Gordon Sawyer from a window on historic Green Street.