If you believe what you think you read, the Colonel was never anything else. It is possible that Colonel Askins entered the military at an advanced rank because of his position in the gun world. This was a rather common situation in wartime. I think the Colonel entered the military at an advanced stage of his career judging from discussion that took place on the shotgunworld thread discussing the discovery of his father's Super in a Texas gun store. Some time ago, I created a time line for Townsend Whelen's rise through the ranks, discussed at some length on some gun forum. It would take your breath away until you realize that his position in the "gun world" put him in a unique position of leadership in the WW1 era, probably similar to Colonel Askins' situation in WW2. Regardless of protocol about rank and title, Major Askins is often referred to as The Captain since many of his writings in the gun press were written when he wore two bars.
