Garand Collectors Meeting in Kansas City

Recently I had the opportunity to address the Garand Collectors Association 20th Anniversary Convention that met in Kansas City, Missouri. I was impressed with the members interest, and knowledge of the M-1 Garand. Many were veterans but some were far too young to have used the weapons in combat.

In considering what I would say to them, I found myself remembering the rifle, my rifle, and the many days and nights we spent together. Sure it was a tool, a well designed and very efficient tool, but it was also more than that.

Waking one morning before my assigned talk I discovered that I was field-stripping the Garand in my sleep, slipping off the trigger housing and pulling away the stock. I even remember the number. What I finally talked about, and what several of those in attendance affirmed, was that other than being a mechanical object, a thing to be taken care of and used with caution, the M-1 for the Korean War soldier was a companion. Perhaps the word friend is too strong, but in many respects that is what it was.

The M-1 was a rifle, but it was also a weapon, and as a weapon I came to know it far better than most things associated with my life. There are a lot of books available about the M-1 as a rifle, I would love to see someone compile a book about men’s experiences and memories of the rifle.

Senior Fellow, Paul M. Edwards