The Rifle: Combat Stories from America’s Last WWII Veterans, Told Through an M1 Garand
Tales of American combat and comradery in World War II all connected to the iconic rifle of the era, the M1 Garand. An award-winning author puts one such rifle into the hands of a series of vets, records their stories, and gathers their signatures on the rifle, in a pilgrimage and homage to heroism.
It all started because of a rifle.
The Rifle is an inspirational story and hero’s journey of a 28-year-old U.S. Marine, Andrew Biggio, who returned home from combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, full of questions about the price of war. He found answers from those who survived the costliest war of all — WWII veterans.
It began when Biggio bought a 1945 M1 Garand Rifle, the most common rifle used in WWII, to honor his great uncle, a U.S. Army soldier who died on the hills of the Italian countryside. When Biggio showed the gun to his neighbor, WWII veteran Corporal Joseph Drago, it unlocked memories Drago had kept unspoken for 50 years. On the spur of the moment, Biggio asked Drago to sign the rifle. Thus began this Marine’s mission to find as many WWII veterans as he could, get their signatures on the rifle, and document their stories.
For two years, Biggio traveled across the country to interview America’s last-living WWII veterans. Each time he put the M1 Garand Rifle in their hands, their eyes lit up with memories triggered by holding the weapon that had been with them every step of the war. With each visit and every story told to Biggio, the veterans signed their names to the rifle. 96 signatures now cover that rifle, each a reminder of the price of war and the courage of our soldiers.
Due Out September 19, 2023
The Rifle 2: Back to the Battlefield
In this highly anticipated follow-up to The Rifle, Andrew Biggio brings to light more untold stories from the quickly vanishing ranks of the veterans of World War II.
Ordinary Men with Extraordinary Purpose
They are called the Greatest Generation, but they were also ordinary men, sharing in all of humanity’s weaknesses and flaws while responding to the call of duty. These are their unforgettable stories—first-person accounts from the last of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who fought the most dreadful war in history, all collected by a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The idea was simple: travel across the country with a 1945 M1 Garand, the basic U.S. fighting rifle of World War II, ask combat veterans of that war to sign it, and listen carefully as the sight, touch, and feel of that rifle evoke a flood of memories and emotions. In this highly anticipated follow-up to The Rifle, Andrew Biggio once again reveals the astonishing effect his M1 Garand had on the old warriors who held it.
The passage of time is swiftly snatching from us the last of those men, but the memories of those who remain are vivid and strong. It’s astonishing to see how grasping that rifle brings out those memories—good, bad, terrifying, and heroic.
In Biggio’s riveting account, you will learn:
• What it was like to fight for freedom in the various theaters of World War II
• The obstacles these world-conquerors faced on returning home and how they overcame them
• The special meaning these recollections hold for later combat vets, confirming the brotherhood of warriors
• The importance to veterans of memory and respect
War and the weapons with which it is waged shape men forever. Biggio’s inspirational second collection is a must-read for anyone interested in the service and sacrifices of our veterans.
About the Author
Andrew Biggio, a former U.S. Marine Corps infantry sergeant, is a member of the police force in Boston. A veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, he is the president of the nonprofit support organization New England’s Wounded Veterans, Inc. He earned a master’s degree in homeland security at Northeastern University.
