The Rifle

Combat Stories from America's Last WWII Veterans, Told Through an M1 Garand

De: Andrew Biggio

Narrado por: Shawn Compton

The Rifle is the inspirational story of a 28-year-old US 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 US 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. Ninety-six signatures now cover that rifle, each a reminder of the price of war and the courage of our soldiers.

©2021 Andrew Biggio (P)2021 Tantor

Poor editing

Some good stories were marred by poor editing and amateurish use of language. Word choice and usage were often questionable.

Great listen - well worth the time

Listened with my 13-yr old son over a few weeks taking him to and from sports. We both thoroughly enjoyed it.
The fact that he wanted to sit in the driveway to finish chapters rather than go in and play on his phone is testament to this statement.

Absolutely amazing.

I loved hearing all the stories through several different military branches and hearing the author's journey not only for the rifle but for his family.Amazing.

UNEXPECTED GEM

great collection of oral history. as the men who actually fought in World War II are disappearing day by day it is great to hear their stories

Exemplary recording of the human experience of WW2

It would be a mistake not to download and listen to this book. This book documents a diverse range of American veteran experiences from Western and Pacific second world war fronts. The author's approach is reverential and sincere as he retells the interviews. The reading for the audiobook is very good but sometimes the tone doesn't match the content. To me some of the reading sounds bright and exciting while the words are about artillery bombardments and death. 97 year old veterans talking about seeing life altering death and destruction should be reflected in the audible reading. I'm still glad audible did this and still think the narrator did a tremendous job and infinitely better than I could ever do.

Outstanding

Moving and informative. Touches pieces of history few others have touched. Must read if you want to know more about the hidden heroes of World War II.

A remarkable tribute!

The stories told by these WWII veterans were captivating. Thank you, Andrew Biggio, for collecting these accounts and honoring our nation’s heroes in this way. A great listen!

simply amazing,

should be required reading for schools everywhere. The author captured details many would have left out or forgotten to mention

Indeed a fine book !

Andy Biggio did an incredible job capturing these heroes and history. The book is a must read for all to better understand our history and the GREAT men who fought through so much.

Fantastic book!

well written, and fantastic, captivating stories from the vetrans. An awesome book! i would recomend it to all.