Built for the Unknown.png
Built for the Unknown.png

Built for the Unknown

$39.95

COMING SPRING 2027

When the U.S. Army began replacing the Beretta M9 with the new M17 service pistol, Captain Travis Womack saw a problem. The standard coyote-tan weapon simply did not belong alongside the immaculate dress uniforms, polished steel, and white marble of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

What began as a simple request to SIG SAUER for two black pistols soon became something far more extraordinary.

Built for the Unknown tells the remarkable story of the collaboration that created four one-of-a-kind ceremonial M17 pistols for the Sentinels who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Working alongside Tomb Guards, historians, craftsmen, military leaders, and SIG SAUER, Womack helped transform a modern service weapon into a meticulously designed symbol of remembrance.

From grips crafted with wood from the USS Olympia, the ship that carried America's first Unknown Soldier home from France, to components incorporating marble from the Tomb itself, every detail connects generations of American military history.

Through firsthand accounts and the stories behind their creation, Built for the Unknown reveals the history, craftsmanship, and symbolism of these extraordinary pistols—and the enduring commitment to ensure that those who served, sacrificed, and remain unknown are never forgotten.

COMING SPRING 2027

When the U.S. Army began replacing the Beretta M9 with the new M17 service pistol, Captain Travis Womack saw a problem. The standard coyote-tan weapon simply did not belong alongside the immaculate dress uniforms, polished steel, and white marble of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

What began as a simple request to SIG SAUER for two black pistols soon became something far more extraordinary.

Built for the Unknown tells the remarkable story of the collaboration that created four one-of-a-kind ceremonial M17 pistols for the Sentinels who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Working alongside Tomb Guards, historians, craftsmen, military leaders, and SIG SAUER, Womack helped transform a modern service weapon into a meticulously designed symbol of remembrance.

From grips crafted with wood from the USS Olympia, the ship that carried America's first Unknown Soldier home from France, to components incorporating marble from the Tomb itself, every detail connects generations of American military history.

Through firsthand accounts and the stories behind their creation, Built for the Unknown reveals the history, craftsmanship, and symbolism of these extraordinary pistols—and the enduring commitment to ensure that those who served, sacrificed, and remain unknown are never forgotten.

SPECS

  • Imprint: Brown Books Publishing Group

  • BISAC: HISTORY / Military / Weapons

  • Format: Hardcover

  • Page Count: Coming soon

  • Publication Date: Apr 6, 2027

  • ISBN-13: 978-1-970910-07-0

  • Dimensions: 11” x 8.5”

  • US List Price: $39.95

  • Carton Qty: Coming soon

AUTHOR BIO

Travis Womack is a retired United States Army officer, author, speaker, and veteran advocate whose military career spanned more than twenty years, including combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Among the greatest honors of his career was serving with the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Arlington National Cemetery, where he commanded the company responsible for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier mission. He concluded his Army career at the Pentagon as a member of the Army Talent Management Task Force.

During his time with The Old Guard, Travis became part of the collaboration that led to the creation of the ceremonial pistols carried by the sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Working alongside sentinels, fellow soldiers, craftspeople, historians, and the team at SIG SAUER, he helped guide the project to its completion.

For Travis, remembrance is deeply personal. During his military service, he experienced the loss of fellow soldiers in combat and of multiple others who took their own lives in the years that followed. Those losses shaped an understanding that has remained with him: remembrance is not passive. It carries a responsibility to preserve the names, stories, and sacrifices of those who did not come home and to remember the families, friends, and fellow soldiers who continue to carry their absence.

After retiring from the Army in 2023, Travis founded Womack C3, through which he continues to serve veterans and their families. He is the creator and host of the podcast So There I Was..., which preserves and shares the experiences of veterans whose stories might otherwise go untold. His work is driven by a particular commitment to veteran suicide prevention and creating opportunities for veterans to tell their stories, remain connected, and know that their experiences matter. Across these efforts, the common thread remains the same: stories matter, and sometimes simply allowing someone to be heard can make a difference.

Travis lives in McKinney, Texas, with his wife, Jenny, and their five children. Of all the titles and responsibilities he has held throughout his life, those of husband and father remain the most important to him.