SPECIAL PRESENTATION: THE SPIRIT OF JOHN GARAND
(Room Room B102 (C))
22 May 16
11:30 AM
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12:30 PM
When John C. Garand developed his semi-automatic M1 rifle during the 1920s & 1930s, he could not have imagined the success that it would experience. He had no way of knowing that it would one day help to defeat Nazi Germany & Imperial Japan, or that it would go on to become a Cold Warrior. He also would have had no way of envisioning the stunning success that the M1 would experience as a civilian firearm after the end of its remarkable military career, or that its influence would reach into the 21st Century. But this is the chain of events John Garand set in motion with his brilliant semi-automatic rifle & today, we are the stewards of his legacy. Each M1 rifle is much more than 9.5 pounds of steel & wood - each M1 rifle memorializes a history that we preserve. This presentation explores that legacy & reveals the many ways that the spirit of John Garand remains alive & well today.