**Upbringing**
Asger was born on 22 March 1918. He grew up on a farm in Himmerland. After finishing school, he was expected to continue on the family farm as his father’s assistant. He had no interest in agriculture and was, quite frankly, deeply unhappy with the work. In general, it was a hard and impoverished life at the time, with a very bleak outlook for the future.
His great interest was music, and with saved money he bought a violin, learned to play from a local musician, and eventually attended the conservatory in Aalborg. There he had to choose a second instrument; he chose the trumpet—which would later influence his military life.
**Love**
Nelly was three years older than Asger, but thought he was a very handsome man, and it ended with Nelly becoming pregnant—and them getting married in Aalborg before the pregnancy became too visible. Nelly arrived by train. She was shy: “Do you think they can see that I’m pregnant?” After the wedding they returned to St. Brøndum Hedegård, where a small celebration was held with a bottle of port wine.
Nelly set up a sewing room and made dresses for people.
**Military service examination (session)**
Asger went for his military examination for the first time at the age of 17 and stated that he had suffered from rheumatic fever as a child (a rheumatic condition caused by an untreated bacterial throat infection. It can cause recurring inflammation in the joints. However, many grow out of it). He was not particularly eager to become a soldier, and at the following examination the year after, he brought a medical certificate, after which he was rejected. At the time, it was believed that rheumatic fever often led to heart defects, and there was not a great demand for conscripts. Characteristic of the period was also that many young men had worked so hard that, for example, they had damaged their backs and were declared unfit for service at the examination.
**D.N.S.A.P.**
Kjeld Hjort (from the manor of Tustrup) and Juel Villestrup (from the manor of Villestrup) promoted DNSAP and brought Asger into the party and the SA. “We were so far down in the dirt back then that it couldn’t get any worse.” There was drill, outdoor exercises, and camaraderie. There was a sense that there might be light ahead.
