Major General (Ret.). U.S. Army, Ken Bowra, Sign his petition hereHe retired as a Major General in October 2003 after over thirty-three years of service in the United States Army. He is a graduate of The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina
He has commanded Special Forces units at all levels including serving as a Special Forces reconnaissance team leader “One Zero” in MACV-SOG during Vietnam service and as an advisor to Cambodian infantry and airborne units with the UITG/FANK Training Program. He commanded ODA-572, a HALO Special Atomic Demolitions Munitions (SADM) team in the 5th Special Forces Group. He was later assigned to the American Embassy, Phnom Penh, Cambodia during the period 1974 through Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of the American Embassy in April 1975. Other special operations assignments include Commander, Company B, 2nd Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry; Commander, 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne); Commander, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and served in the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) from 1983-1988. He participated in the initial assault into Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury) and other sensitive operations, to include operations in Somalia, while commanding the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
General officer assignments include Commanding General, Special Operations Command South, U.S. Southern Command; Deputy Commanding General, United States Army Special Operations Command; Commanding General, United States Army Special Forces Command; Commanding General, United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Deputy Commander, KFOR, NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR), where he served with 39 coalition partners, and conducted combat operations with Russian Tactical Groups and other nations, and oversaw Kosovo’s first ever municipal elections. He then served as Assistant Chief of Staff/ Operations Director, Allied Forces Northern Europe, where he led the establishment of NATO’s first out of Europe mission to Afghanistan.
Following his retirement, he served with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s National Security element, and as a senior mentor at the U.S Joint Forces Command, where he was part of an advanced combat in urban operations team, participation in numerous experiments and activities with the Services and foreign nations, to include the Israeli Defense Forces in Israel. He additionally served as a member of the National Academies National Research Council Standing Committee on Research, Development, and Acquisition Options for U.S. Special Operations Command, Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences.
He was appointed as a Senior Foreign Service Officer in the Department of State by the Deputy Secretary of State in February 2009 and was assigned until 15 October 2013 to the U.S. Embassy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he served as the first Program Director of a Department of State Interagency Counter Terrorist Program.
He was inducted into the Special Forces Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member of the Regiment and was awarded the Order of Saint Maurice by the National Infantry Association and the Chief of Infantry. He was awarded the Rylander Award by NDIA SOLIC Division, in 2007, and served as Chairman of the NDIA SOLIC Division. As an Eagle Scout and Scout leader, he has been active supporting Scouting in his assignments and was awarded the Distinguished Scouter Award and Order of the Silver Beaver. He serves as the president of the Virginia War Museum Foundation in Newport News, Virginia, and is a trustee on the Special Operations Association Foundation. He and his wife, Missy, live in Smithfield, Virginia.
Maj. (Ret.) William Askins, Sign his petition here
William Askins, an avid shooter, NRA Life Member, hunter, collector and scion of a family deeply involved in the American shooting fraternity, is a candidate for election to the NRA Board of Directors.
Askins is a retired Marine Corps Major, and a former CIA Clandestine Services Operations Officer. He spent three eventful years in Vietnam. He served initially as a Marine helicopter pilot in the I Corps area before he left active duty to fly for the CIA Special Operations Division. He eventually commanded the CIA team in the southernmost province in the
Mekong Delta. During the last years of the war. Askins commanded a sizable contingent of Nung mercenaries, had operational control of the province National Police Special Branch commando unit, as well as a squadron of large patrol boats, and had air support from Air America fixed and rotary wing aircraft. It was a charming assignment, especially since his immediate chief was 90 hazardous miles away, and the Chief of Station, Saigon, only visited on very rare occasions! He eventually flew away in a commandeered aircraft, on the last day of the war, amidst turmoil and tragedy. Askins has received 23 decorations from various governments, and is blessed, or perhaps burdened, with many memories of this war. He then passed on to assignments across the world, with most being in Latin America. An occasional detour took him to Africa during periods of instability brought on by Great Powers competition for dominance in that rich continent.
Askins is the third generation of a noted shooting family. His father Colonel Charles Askins won the National Individual Championship in 1936, was a distinguished pistol shot, first Chief of the Army Advanced Marksmanship Unit, a prolific author for more than sixty years on guns,
hunting and shooting His grandfather Major Charles Askins was the premier authority on shotguns and bird shooting, as well an author of various books with fifty years of writings in the major outdoor magazines. Both ancestors appeared in the AMERICAN RIFLEMAN for many
years as major contributors.
Askins' direct involvement with the National Rifle Association commenced with his participation in the coup that placed Harlon Carter into office as the Executive Vice President. He subsequently acted as Carter's Executive Assistant during the revitalization of the organization. Eventually he passed on to the position of Director of
the NRA book publishing division, started an active publishing program
which dramatically increased, by tenfold, the sale of hunting,
shooting and technical books to the membership. He directed the
establishment of the AMERICAN MARKSMAN magazine, and additionally
acted as the Deputy Director of the Publications Division which
produces the flagship AMERICAN RIFLEMAN and the AMERICAN HUNTER. The
combined circulation of over three million copies per month placed the
NRA in the top rank of print magazines at that period.
A lifetime shooter and hunter, Askins held the national record for the Modern Pentathlon
pistol event for several years. It is one of the five events in the military sport of Modern Pentathlon, and involves a dueling course of fire, with turning silhouette targets
at 25 meters. The remaining sports were a wild ride cross country, a dueling sword
fencing competition, a 300 meter swim and a 4000 meter footrace. Various assignments
abroad allowed him to hunt extensively in Africa, Spain and South America. However,
hunting now is confined to happy quail and dove shoots in south Texas where
he resides near San Antonio.
Askins presently operates Zeeland Aviation Corporation, an aviation services company
that provides brokerage of aircraft and manages remote area air operations in the Third World. He is widowed, has three daughters and two grandsons who are officers in
the Marines, both to be aviators shortly. He has a BA from Trinity University and a MA
in Pre-Columbian Studies from the National University of Mexico. He is a graduate of the prestigious Career Training Program of the CIA, a Marine Aviator, and has accumulated more than 4000 hours of flight time in a variety of military and civilian aircraft. A lifelong equestrian, he plays polo, punches cattle, and keeps a few horses for pleasure. He is bilingual in Spanish and enjoys a modest ability in Portuguese and Italian.
Askins is appalled by the mismanagement of our beloved Association over the past few years! If elected, he pledges to restore the NRA to a fiscally sound, morally correct, and effective guardian of our Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. Happily, his previous employment as a senior staff member of the NRA during a period of great achievement will enhance his capacity to mentor the association's activities effectively.
Jerry Kraus, Sign his petition here
Jerry Kraus is a dedicated veteran, NRA Life Member, and accomplished
NRA-ILA activist with a profound commitment to defending the Second
Amendment. A steadfast advocate, Jerry Kraus views the NRA not merely as
an organization but as a cause that resonates deeply with his core values.
Having served in the U.S. Army, Jerry Kraus swore an oath “to protect the
Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic..” —an oath he
continues to honor through tireless advocacy.
Since the Since the 1994 federal "Assault Weapons" Ban, Jerry Kraus has been a pivotal
figure in NRA-ILA initiatives, contributing to numerous political campaigns from
1994 to 2018 in various leadership roles on behalf of NRA-ILA. Recognized as
one of the top five NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinators nationwide, he has
demonstrated exceptional organizational and strategic skills. With over 30 years
of professional experience in sales, marketing, project management, finance,
business strategy, and development, Jerry Kraus currently excels as a
Mortgage Broker, bringing a wealth of expertise to his advocacy efforts.
An avid marksman and hunter, Jerry Kraus has achieved notable recognition,
including features in Soldier of Fortune magazine for confirmed long-range
shots at a mile, and a cover appearance. He enjoys shooting in I.D.P.A., P.P.C.,
trap, skeet, and sporting clays, and he has hunted extensively across the United
States--including three trips to Alaska--as well as Africa. His passion for the
shooting sports and hunting underscores his commitment to preserving Second
Amendment rights.
As a proven leader, Jerry Kraus has focused on community organizing, coalition
building, and event planning for pro-Second Amendment initiatives. He has and
continues to support charitable efforts through organizations such as Friends of
the NRA, the NRA Foundation and Safari Club International. With a robust
background in both advocacy and professional leadership, Jerry Kraus is wellpositioned
to contribute strategic vision and dedication to the NRA Board of
Directors, advancing the organization’s mission to protect the Second
Amendment.
Please consider him for a position on the N.R.A. Board of Directors.
RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
1998 – 2016 Frontlines Activist Leader
National Rifle Association – Institute for Legislative
Action
Southeastern Michigan & Northern Colorado
SKILLS
Political Advocacy
Coalition Building
Relationship Management
Team Building / Management
Public Speaking
Business
Strategic Planning
Team Building / Management
Program Development
Project Management
Marketing
Public Speaking
Branding
Writing
Editing
Social Media
Networking
Technology
CRM
Microsoft Software
Apple/Mac Software
Calyx
Arive
i-360 Walk
i-360 Call
NationBuilder
This is a grassroots volunteer position formerly called an Election Volunteer Coordinator (E.V.C.). The
position was renamed in January, 2017; I have been a dedicated E.V.C. since 1998.
Started as an Election Volunteer Coordinator in Michigan in 1998, recruited by Glen
Caroline, Director of N.R.A.-I.L.A. Grassroots.
Became an Election Volunteer Coordinator in Colorado 2013.
January 2017, position was renamed Frontlines Activist Leader.
Identify and target pro-2nd Amendment businesses for the purpose of setting them up as a
2nd Amendment Activist Center. 2A Centers are places we use to disseminate literature to
the pro-gun community on upcoming legislation that impacts their 2nd Amendment rights as
well as which political candidates are for and against their 2nd Amendment rights.
Build relationships at gun clubs for the purpose of getting them to forward our emails out to
their membership in an effort to recruit more people to help us make more phone calls and
knock on more doors during the election cycle in support of candidates backed by the
N.R.A.-I.L.A.
Build coalitions with pro-2nd Amendment organizations for ultimately the same purposes
detailed above.
Develop and execute training for volunteers.
Identify pro-2nd Amendment events and have a table at the event staffed by myself and / or
my volunteers for the ultimate purpose of disseminating literature on which candidates the
N.R.A.-I.L.A. is endorsing as well as for recruiting more potential volunteers.
Plan and execute events at my own expense with volunteers in non-election years to
maintain the relationships with the more active volunteers until the next election so we do
not have to completely rebuild our grassroots network every election.
2008 – 2018 Contributing Field Editor,
Soldier of Fortune Magazine
Boulder, Colorado
The Journal of Professional Adventurers was a monthly periodical magazine started in 1976 and is
devoted to worldwide reporting of wars, including conventional warfare, low-intensity warfare, counter
insurgency, and counter-terrorism until 2016. In 2016 the printed edition ended and it remains solely
online at www.SOFMag.com
I was asked by the magazines founder/editor/publisher Colonel Robert K. Brown (also a
NRA Board member) to write a gun review on a freelance basis.
Wrote numerous articles that were published in SOF, most of which were gun reviews.
Freelance photographer with countless photos to my credit that were published in the
magazine and on their website.
Appeared on the cover of the March 2010 issue.
Promoted to Contributing Field Editor in 2016.
Helped plan and execute events for the Colonel and SOF magazine that included: annual
hunting camps for SOF and close friends of the Colonel as well as bi-annual reunions for
SOF management and VIPs at the NRA Whittington Center.
1/2016 – 11/2016 Campaign Field Representative,
9/2014 – 11/2014 National Rifle Association – Institute for Legislative Action
Northern Colorado
I worked for the NRA-ILA Grassroots division twice, September to November, for the 2014 Mid-Term
election cycle and January to November of the 2016 election cycle focusing on the Trump Campaign and
defeating Hillary Clinton. I consider The NRA-ILA to be the most influential political advocacy organization
in the country. The Second Amendment is a cause I truly believe in.
Developed and executed a grassroots campaign plan for Northern Colorado in support of
political candidates endorsed by the N.R.A.-I.L.A.
My main objective was the defeat of Hillary Clinton for President.
Form and maintain positive relationships with the NRA Board members in my target state,
Identify, target and form coalitions with pro-2nd Amendment organizations.
Recruit and train volunteers to make phone calls, knock on doors, man tables at pro-gun
events.
Identify and target pro-2nd Amendment businesses for the purpose of setting them up as a
2nd Amendment Activist Center. 2A Centers are places we use to disseminate literature to
the pro-gun community on upcoming legislation that impacts their 2nd Amendment rights as
well as which political candidates are for and against their 2nd Amendment rights.
Build relationships at gun clubs for the purpose of getting them to forward our emails out to
their membership in an effort to recruit more people to help us make more phone calls and
knock on more doors during the election cycle in support of candidates backed by the
N.R.A.-I.L.A.
Identify pro-2nd Amendment events and have a table at the event staffed by myself and / or
my volunteers for the ultimate purpose of disseminating literature on which candidates the
N.R.A.-I.L.A. is endorsing as well as for recruiting more potential volunteers.
9/2016 – 11/2008 State Coalitions Director,
Sportsmen for McCain, John McCain for President
Farmington Hills, MI
Sportsmen for McCain was the pro-2nd Amendment outreach initiative on the McCain for President
Campaign. I was the Coalitions Director for the state of Michigan.
.
I never applied for this position; they sought me out because of my reputation as a
dedicated N.R.A.- I.L.A. Election Volunteer Coordinator.
Build coalitions with pro-2nd Amendment organizations.
Attend events representing the McCain campaign and “Sportsmen for McCain” to recruit
volunteers.
Plan and execute call nights and door-to-door activities with volunteers from the
organizations I built coalitions with.
I started the first of September and, unfortunately, the McCain campaign pulled all
resources out of Michigan at the end of September due to polling numbers.
Education
University of Michigan, Flint 1989-1990
Eastern Michigan University 1988-1989
Personal Interests & Hobbies
Shooting skeet, trap and sporting clays.
Long Range Precision Rifle shooting
I.D.P.A. Shooting
Hunting birds & big game
Downhill Skiing
Memberships
National Rifle Association Life Member & Endowment Member.
NRA “Ring of Freedom” Member
Fraternal Order of Police Member
Republican Party Member
Safari Club International Member
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