The Rifle Audiobook By Andrew Biggio cover art

The Rifle

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

Preview
Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

The Rifle

By: Andrew Biggio
Narrated by: Shawn Compton
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

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
Military Wars & Conflicts World War II War Solider Veteran Heartfelt Inspiring
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup
Gripping Stories • Inspirational Tone • Personal Touch • Active Voice • Outstanding Narration
Highly rated for:
Most relevant  
well written, and fantastic, captivating stories from the vetrans. An awesome book! i would recomend it to all.

Fantastic book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book is powerful. As Biggio is collecting these stories, these WWII heroes are dying before the book publishes. The journey, the history, the humanity…this book is worth it, you’ll come back to it…and you’ll buy it for a friend.

Essential Book for WWII Fanatics

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great stories of WWII veterans. A must read for WWII history buffs.

Powerful stories

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

loved it couldn't put it down, my dad and uncles carried it all over Europe most of the veterans from Vietnam loved the m14 more than the m16 I am a Vietnam veteran

m1 grand

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Awesome book, instantly glued!! Thankful for all VETERANS!! WHERE WOULD WE BE IF IT WEREN'T FOR THESE VETS THAT PAID THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE?

Thank you to all VETERANS!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Andrew Biggio has written an important book. To really understand any war, and it’s human toll, one must go beyond generals, strategy and tactics. One must endeavor to understand war from the perspective of the individual and too often nameless participants who experienced it. Biggio has succeeded superbly in this task. I highly recommend this book.

An Important Book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I had to wait a few days before writing this review in order to allow everything to settle. I am still struggling as to how to adequately describe this book. The only thing I can think to say, especially if you are a veteran, is to listen to this book. I dare you not to tear up and think of your own time in service, or the comrades you lost.

Incredible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

My grandfather was a VSO for 20yrs as well as a WW2 veteran. I had the honor of growing up around many vets and hearing their stories. This book is a great testimony to them.

Outstanding

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I didn't know what to expect but a friend of mine, whose opinions/recommendations are nearly always spot on, told me I should read it. Well, with a newborn I don't have a lot of time to read so I got this audio version to listen to on my way to and from work and I am absolutely smitten with this story. Loved it from start to finish and I can't wait to listen to the sequel that just came out!

A moving portrait of unsung heroes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Almost all of us have heard or overheard stories by or about the men who were the warfighters of the war that was so significant to the lives of virtually all of us. But Andrew Biggio was able to solicit the stories that most of us would not hear because he was like them, a war fighter but a couple of generations later. His stories are from interviews with old men - old heroes - that would not have let the rest of us see inside their memories, including many that they would rather not remember.
That generation of WWII young men are down to a few old men. They are fading into history.

Exceptional collection of stories of WWII veterans

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews