By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County correspondent

Ed Darby of Fort Collins, Colorado, a native of Otter Tail County, says a new book, “The Rifle,” will touch the hearts of any American whose family history includes World War II.

“The author, Andrew Biggio, over the past few years, met with surviving World War II veterans and captured their memories.  It is available on Amazon,” says Darby, a 1960 graduate of Fergus Falls High School who later was an executive with Readers Digest.

“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, World War II veterans.

Otter Tail County military historian and World War II veteran Myron Broschat worked as manager of electric transmission for Otter Tail Power Company.

  Broschat was a 40-year board member of the Fergus Falls Concert Association. “Myron was the glue that held us together,” said board president Jeanne Jensen whose husband Leon is a Vietnam veteran. “He was instrumental to the 80-year success of our organization.” 

Broschat was proud to give back as a member of the concert association, county historical society, VFW and Disabled American Veterans. Broschat died on June 13, 2016. 

He was remembered close to Veterans Day, 2018, during a performance by the Fergus Falls Concert Association. 

Other veterans of World War II who worked at Otter Tail Power Company included Butch Larson (who survived the Bataan Death March), and Al Hartl and Bob Bigwood who became presidents of Otter Tail Power.