Charles Askins, Jr,

[jlrhiner]

I have no personal knowledge of Col. Askins, (although I was born before he died. And I'm one of the youngest of the curmudgeons here). All of my opinion was formed from reading UNREPENTENT SINNER. (I actually was so disappointed in the way he presented himself, I gave the book to a member here)

Another member posted all of his accomplishments. As far as I could tell, they were all true. A career based off of those triumphs would be stellar at least. But I can't get past the 3 Mexican cargadores (unarmed) and the Arab thief that he hunted down.

It was quite wild on the border in the 20's and 30's, but a bunch of fine Lawmen did their jobs without murdering anyone there.

Now, if he lied about his exploits, I have no further opinion to offer.

 

[jspick]

There's a good chance that a lot of them were snipe hunters in the Boy Scouts.

LOL

John

 

[Muley Gil]

I have no personal knowledge of Col. Askins, (although I was born before he died. And I'm one of the youngest of the curmudgeons here). All of my opinion was formed from reading UNREPENTENT SINNER. (I actually was so disappointed in the way he presented himself, I gave the book to a member here)

Another member posted all of his accomplishments. As far as I could tell, they were all true. A career based off of those triumphs would be stellar at least. But I can't get past the 3 Mexican cargadores (unarmed) and the Arab thief that he hunted down.

My dad was in the Navy during WW II. He told me that he was assigned as a guard over a gas dump located on a pier in the Med. His orders were that if someone tried to steal any gas, shout "HALT, HALT!" and if the thief failed to stop or drop the gas cans, shoot to kill.

One evening, a teenaged thief got into the gas dump and grabbed two jerry cans of gasoline. My dad followed orders and when the thief failed to sop or drop the cans, he shot the thief with an M1 Garand and then called for the chief petty officer. The boy's body was drug away. My dad never saw his face.

Dad said that that boy chased him in his nightmares for twenty years. Yet, if those strict measures hadn't beem followed, the gas dump would have been emptied out with days.

When I started in law enforcement in the '70s, shooting a fleeing felon was quite legal. And shoplighting any article with a value of $25 or more was a felony.

 

[S&W Fan]

And if he had put his hand on my wife/girlfriend the fight would be on. It's happened, it was and I walked away smiling, not braggin' just sayin'.

Any man that puts hands on a woman involved with another is a piece of **** in my book.

 

[mc5aw]

His name was Bill Carson ...

I recall that Tuco used his name as an alias.

 

[153]

Askins wrote articles provocatively to generate mail to his editors. No reason not to believe he did the same with his "autobiography". After about sixty semi-conscious years on this planet, I've learned not to take everything at face value ... including Askins and his book.

 

[feralmerril]

Askins and bill jordan had a back and forth magazine article going arguing the merits of revolver VS auto. Jordan titled his article, "Come now Charlie". Seems they knew each other well and as Charlie had championed revolvers over autos for many years had come out favoring autos and Bill called him out on it in the magazine. Anyone else remember reading that?
Early on I noticed Askins liked to write with a controversial prodding style. Somewhere I have another good book he wrote titled Texans, guns & history. I think it one of his best.
I think he might have played on his killer tough style writing to sell. However when writers and others that did know him and was around him all come out with the same basic reports of in your face, disrespectful traits storys what are we to believe?

 

[Wyatt Burp]

I remember an article in Guns & Ammo in the early 70s called "Sixguns are clunkers" and it showed a hand about to drop a Colt SAA into a wastepaper basket.
In his book he writes of being going to a cabin with two forest rangers to get a guy who shot a game warden. One ranger kicked in the door and shot the guy twice before he could raise his rifle. Askins writes that he was sorry he didn't get a shot off at the guy, too. When I read that I thought, they got the guy. He was dead. He wouldn't be any deader if he got to plug him, too. And why "want" to shoot the guy? It was a justified kill, but I always tripped on him lamenting in print the fact that HE didn't get to kill him.

 

[mac2]

I don't understand why he's singled out for criticism as a racist: for much of his adult life, there was segregation in the Southern states, the army he served in was segregated until the late 40s and then there was the US government national initiative, Operation Wetback in 1954...

 

[Bat Guano]

Operation Wetback

I know (ok, knew) guys that worked "Operation Wetback" in those days. It needed doing, and got done. It usually involved single illegals working for ranchers who got addicted to cheap, indentured labor (braceros) during WWII and didn't want to turn loose of it.

When the term "wetback" became politically incorrect somewhere in the 80s, I used to query some of the illegals as to what they called themselves. The answer was invariably, "Soy mojado ("wetback"), señor."

And just so it's clear that INS was impartial, we scarfed up the odd illegal Brit now and then. On one such occasion we put a couple on a bus to the border with about 40 Mexicans. They were somewhat offended that we put them in with all the others, whom they described as "cutthroats". In reality they were among some pretty nice, generous, decent people. I hope they learned that by the time they got to Calexico.

That said, we could and should do another "Operation Wetback" now; humanely, but firmly and persistently. This isn't their country, it's OURS.

 

[FPrice]

I've got no dog in this fight other than the coincidental fact that I happened to pick up his book "Colonel Askins on Pistols & Revolvers" at our Town Transfer Station a few weeks back. It has some good stories (a la Cooper's "Fireworks") along with many articles on the state of firearms, pistolcraft, and personalities of his era.

My opinion of the good Colonel is that he was probably a man with both good and bad traits, some of which were probably more "pronounced" than those of others.

 

[JSW]

Is it "hearsay" if HE admitted to them... IN WRITING?

When's the last time YOU admitted to being involved in an armed robbery? If you weren't why WOULD you?

• sociopath
• pathological liar
• both

You tell me.

You have no control over how others portray you.

You have TOTAL control over how you portray YOURSELF.

Agreed, my opinions of Askins are based on the things HE said about himself. And yes I do believe he took joy in killing.

 

[feralmerril]

The biggest reason he was a popular writer was when he wrote no one was big on political correctness. I doubt any publisher today would take a chance on publishing a lot of his rougher books or articles.

 

[Old TexMex]

Before I judge a man who straps on a gun belt and goes out in the dark, I have to remember Bill Jordan: " no second place winner".
Whether said lawman regrets or revels in the results is between him and his God.

I got enough on my own conscience

 

[NE450No2]

I knew Col Askins. I met him in the late 70's at a rifle match. I recognized him and went over and introduced myself, told him I had read a lot of his stuff, and what line of work I was in. He told me to have a seat and we began talking. I saw him at several different matches and we would always visit. I would tell him of some of my recient LEO experiences and He would tell me about some of his LEO and War experiences that were not in his books.

Most of the other competors stayed away from him and many of them that I knew told me out right they were afraid on him.

I can say I liked him and found him to be friendly to me, and he gave me some very good advice on staying alive on the job. I enjoyed our visits.


When I hear people saying negative things about him it reminds me of some cowboy movies where they hire a tough sherriff to clean up the town, but do not want him around after the job is done.

What law enforcement needs today is a bunch of Charlie Askins.

 

[cmort666]

What law enforcement needs today is a bunch of Charlie Askins.

That would likely have a bad outcome.

The days of meekly submitting to abuse are over for a lot of people.

 

[keith44spl]

I knew Col Askins. I met him in the late 70's at a rifle match. I recognized him and went over and introduced myself, told him I had read a lot of his stuff, and what line of work I was in. He told me to have a seat and we began talking. I saw him at several different matches and we would always visit. I would tell him of some of my recient LEO experiences and He would tell me about some of his LEO and War experiences that were not in his books.

Most of the other competors stayed away from him and many of them that I knew told me out right they were afraid on him.

I can say I liked him and found him to be friendly to me, and he gave me some very good advice on staying alive on the job. I enjoyed our visits.


When I hear people saying negative things about him it reminds me of some cowboy movies where they hire a tough sherriff to clean up the town, but do not want him around after them job is done.

What law enforcement needs today is a bunch of Charlie Askins.

"but do not want him around after the job is done."


If that's not the truth right there...I ain't never heard it.

When all else fails....It takes hard men for the hard times.

Men with the intestinal fortitude to complete those grim tasks that others shy away from.

With that being said, I still believe it is in bad taste to brag about those sort of things....

As my father told me,
"Son, even if I shot Ol Lucifer himself on the church house steps...You'd never hear me even mention it."

I guess now-n-days it's different.


Dave

 

[redneckemt]

How would polite, friendly Cops of today survived the late 60s, 70s and 80s in the ghettos of New York? Or fought the moonshiners in Mcnairy County Tenn. (Buford Pusser Walking Tall) or chased Bonnie and Clyde. Or walked the Beat in Chicago during the 20s. when Charlie Askins was walking the Earth the Earth needed men like him.

What's the saying "Good people sleepy peacefully in their beds at night, only because there are tough men standing outside ready to do violence on their behalf."

We cant judge the men of yesterday by today's rules.

 

[nawilson]

After reading through this thread, and currently working on Unrepentant Sinner, I am left with a question. In current times, if a paratrooper or Marine kills a Taliban or AQI, is he a hero or a zero? Does it matter how he felt about it?

If there were some folks that needed killing, and Askins wanted to do it, then more power to him.My own experience south of Baghdad taught me that I was happy with each and every AQI that was killed. No hand wringing here. I slept better because of it.

It angers me that some people think that Soldiers should be hurt when they kill the enemy. Nope. That is a good thing.

 

[cmort666]

After reading through this thread, and currently working on Unrepentant Sinner, I am left with a question. In current times, if a paratrooper or Marine kills a Taliban or AQI, is he a hero or a zero? Does it matter how he felt about it?

If there were some folks that needed killing, and Askins wanted to do it, then more power to him.My own experience south of Baghdad taught me that I was happy with each and every AQI that was killed. No hand wringing here. I slept better because of it.

It angers me that some people think that Soldiers should be hurt when they kill the enemy. Nope. That is a good thing.

You're addressing only what I see as a relatively small [and essentially silly] part of the criticism of Askins.

Some of us have other more fundamental issues. Mine start at the beginning of "Unrepentant Sinner". I ask again, when was it EVER considered acceptable to engage in an ARMED ROBBERY?

Askins was either a liar or a sociopath. I don't put any confidence in either.