TEXT AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL JANICH
Colonel Rex Applegate is a name that should be familiar to any serious student of close combat and military history. Born in Oregon on June 21, 1914, his family roots extend all the way back to the American Revolution and the early pioneers of the Oregon Trail. At an early age, he learned to shoot and hunt from his uncle, Gus Peret, a renowned professional hunter and exhibition shooter for Remington-Peters.
Col. Rex Applegate’s World War II sidearm-a rare “Fitz Special” revolver- along with prototypes of two of his knife designs, a signed photo, and a patch of the elite OSS.