Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters So...how bout Charles Askins, Jr.?

Dead nags don't neigh.

They leave enough hay farts hanging around to be long remembered.

I'm just wondering what those Viet Minh would have done to Ol' Chuck if they had gotten the drop on him. Offer him tea & cookies perhaps?

Barry,

They are a peace loving race.

Dan

Slight correction. President Kennedy did not "form the Special Forces."

According to the book, "From OSS To Green Berets," by Aaron Bank, U.S.A. [Ret.], Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster Publ., 1986, the offical forming of a U.S.A. Special Forces Group was ordered by the Army to be activated at Fort Bragg, N.C., on May 1, 1952. Commander-In-Chief at that time was President Harry Truman.

Col. Bank, former OSS officer (Jedburgh), WWII, China and Indochina service, and Col., 187th Regimental Combat Team, Airborne, in Korea, was charged with forming up the new "Special Forces." He specifically wanted former Army Rangers, Airborne troopers, and former OSS operators for his new group. This became the 10th Group.

Almost a decade later, President Kennedy awarded the Special Forces the "green beret" as an offical "cover."

L.W.

There must be a heck of a lot of sick people who have come and gone, since a reading of human history leaves one with the impression man has thoroughly enjoyed killing his fellows for thousands of years. That tendency has only recently been "civilized" out of us.

Precisely where has that tendency been civilized out of?

Dan

Evidently, quite a few members of this forum. In all seriousness, I think a majority of modern day Americans are over-civilized to the point they are easy pickings for those who would prey on them. Many are horrified by any display of violence; even justifiable violence. That certainly appears to be the case in many parts of the country; though it varies significantly by region.

Do you mean enjoying killing his fellows as in war, or enjoying murdering his fellows as John Wayne Gacey or BTK, or the DC Sniper?

I hear Jeff Dahmer had some good recipes.

Dan

Brian.

You guys are a bad influence on me. Now I have to read Unrepentant Sinner again. I suppose there are worse thing I'd have to do.
Paul B.

While I do agree that to some extent violence has been "civilized out" of many modern folks, it would seem to me that much of what has been said about Askins falls into a different category here.

It sure sounds like his reaction to stress was to kill someone. That's a little different.

I've been around a few dangerous people in my life, though the danger wasn't mortal danger (at that time anyway); they just got violent very, very quickly and easily and and once it got started it was a pretty blind thing. I'd hate to have to spend much time with someone who was wired like that AND was famous for flat killing people.

But then, I'm not wired that way, not at all.

In between killings, he wrote some pretty good articles.

Dan

Dr. Ken thank you for your thoughtful comments and in deed restraint. I believe all who knew Charley agrees he was an a-hole and probably unstable as well. I fail to see the need to analyze the man and his motives either read his stuff or don't. As to whether or not he would be charged with crimes in today's world very likely. Understand there we would never have won WW1 or WW11 by todays ROE. I was raised an Army brat in the 50's and I assure you there were many "spooky" people around. Was Charley outside the norm? O' yes but not a Jeffery Dahlmer.

I have skimmed this thread over time, so if this has been mentioned, I beg everyone's indulgence. In the July 2010 issue of Field and Stream, David Petzal (himself a curmudgeon whose name evokes a bird held holy by the Aztecs and who communicates very civily and helpfully on a one-on-one basis)had this to say,"Charley Askins: Charley enjoyed shooting people for recreation, which some might consider cranky."
He also says of Jack O'Connor: "When he visited the Outdoor Life offices, the editors hid in closets and under desks. Others burst into tears. A few actually wet themselves."
Of Warren Page he says, "I knew men who had been in his classes when he taught prep-school English, who still had nightmares about it 40 years later."

Just killed(pun intended) a lunch hour reading the entire thread.

Dr Howell, thank you for such candidness. It's rare these days, especially on the web.

Greg, thanks for reminding me of the Bianchi Cup story. I'd forgotten that Roy E. told me that, oh so many years ago.

Pete

Wow, Roy Erwin---I think of him often but know so few people that knew him. I distantly stayed in touch with Roy thru our mutual friend Jim Hewins who was the Bianchi Cup Match Director for about 15 years. Roy passed away a few years ago---I feel like I missed out on something by not staying in personal touch with him. Did you ever see his collection of Armand Swenson pistols?? He had the only Swenson Browning High Power that I've ever seen.

Thanks for stirring up a fond memory.
Greg

Oh yeah. Those Swensons were pieces of jewelry. Absolutely amazing.
Last saw him around '95 in PHX.

Pete

Pete, maybe I should PM this, but there may be some others on the this thread that would get a kick out of this story.

I was with Roy shooting downstairs at the Bullethole (Hodgdon's indoor range at the time). Roy had just sent that High Power back to Swenson to have Armand put a long (6") barrel in it. When he got the pistol back, Armand had made some kind of a bushing (alla 1911-gun) to fit the barrel to the slide. One problem---Roy now had no idea how to dis-assemble the gun and Swenson hadn't sent any directions. I was with him when he called Swenson for directions. It was hilarious as Armand didn't remember how he had designed the bushing--it was a one-off project and it didn't dis-assembe like a 1911. Roy was concerned as he couldn't clean or lubricate the gun. If you knew Armand then you know that he called everybody "Laddy." At one point Swenson finally said to Roy, "just send the gun back to me, laddy, I'll clean it for you." If you knew Roy well, you knew his sense of humor and highly advanced manipulative skills, he had Swenson tied in a verbal knot. I was a priceless memory.

Thanks again for stirring up good times in my mind.
Greg

A friend of mine has a matched pair of Armand Swenson High Powers.

Brian.