Why Would LHO Choose His Workplace As The Location For Shooting JFK?

[Thomas Graves]

Relative would be if Oswald had done it, but since we know he did not relative does not apply.

Sounds like wishful thinking on your part, Kleinschmidt.

--  MWT   

[Denis Pointing]

When assessing Oswald's rifle skills two factors need to be taking into account: Reguly army qualifies on 300m targets. USMC qualify on 500m targets. Also, qualification standards are tougher in the USMC.
As you can see from the scoring below, scoring marksman in the Marines is pretty close to scoring sharpshooter in the Army, but qualifying expert is about the same in the Army & Marines.

Army:
23/40 (57%) = marksman
30/40 (75%) = sharpshooter
36/40 (90%) = expert

Marines:
190/250 (76%) = marksman
210/250 (84%) = sharpshooter
220/250 (88%) = expert
Oswald was a good shot not only compared to civilians but also compared to regular army rifleman.

Oswald's first rifle scores and Charles Whitmans USMC rifle scores are pretty much identical. On 1st August 1966, Whitman shot dead 11 people and wounded 31 others, from 28 floors up. Although Whitman's weapons were far superior to Oswald's and can't be compared, this does show that claiming Oswald to be a 'bad' shot based on his USMC qualification scores is prepositions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman
“Every Marine a Rifleman”

[Jerry Freeman]

Regarding the off topic post above..every marine recruit in that era was required to qualify with rifle skills [M1 carbine]...if they had to stay up all night...every night to do it. The idea that to qualify once made someone a crack shot for life with any old crappy rifle at all is ludicrous

[Denis Pointing]

Regarding the off topic post above..every marine recruit in that era was required to qualify with rifle skills [M1 carbine]...if they had to stay up all night...every night to do it. The idea that to qualify once made someone a crack shot for life with any old crappy rifle at all is ludicrous

Considering there's twelve post's before mine discussing Oswald's rifle shooting capability...get over it. Who claimed, "that to qualify once made someone a crack shot for life"? Certainly not me (did you just pull that out your ass) but as a POI, Oswald made his best rifle scores after being in the USMC for only two weeks. Which suggests Oswald was either naturally gifted or he was already proficient with a rifle. Perhaps the condition of Oswald's weapon explains why someone as proficient as Oswald only hit the 'target' (Kennedy's head) once out of three shots over such a relatively short distance. You do know one shot didn't even hit the limo, right? The only thing "ludicrous" is the often repeated claim that Oswald wasn't capable of making the assassination shots based on his USMC scorecard!

Please show some proof to back up your claim that any USMC recruit was ever forced to "stay up all night...every night" until he qualified!! Sounds like pure BS to me.

[Gary Craig]

In a letter sent to the WC by Lieutenant Colonel A. G. Folsom Jr.  the Marine Corps state they are of the opinion that someone
scoring 191 to qualify a marksman, as LHO did , is considered a rather poor shot.

A.G. FOLSOM, JR.
Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Marine Corps
Head, Records Branch, Personnel Department
By direction of the Commandant of the Marine Corps

"...The Marine Corps considers that any reasonable application of the instructions given to Marines should
permit them to become qualified at least as marksman. To become qualified as sharpshooter, the Marine Corps is of the
opinion that most Marines with a reasonable amount of adaptability to weapons firing can become so qualified. Consequently
a low marksman qualification indicates a rather poor "shot" and a sharpshooter qualification indicates a
fairly good "shot". I trust the foregoing will serve the purpose of your inquiry..."

The Warren Commission brought in two career military men, Major Anderson and  Sgt. James A. Zahm from the Marine Corp to testify
that LHO was a better than average shot and could have easily made the 11/22/63 shots that killed JFK.

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On December 21, 1956, using a M-1, firing at targets at 200, 300, and 500 yds, he scored 212.  210 is the lowest score to qualify a sharpshooter.

WC expert, Major Anderson, gave the following reasons for LHO qualifying as a sharpshooter.

"Yes; the day the 212 was fired appears to be according to the record book to have been an ideal day under firing conditions."

"Yes; when he fired that he had just completed a very intensive preliminary training period."

"He had the services of an experienced highly trained coach."

"He had high motivation."

"He had presumably a good to excellent rifle and good ammunition."


On May6, 1959, using a M-1, firing at a stationary target at 200 yds, he scored 191. This is the lowest possible score he could get and still qualify as a marksman.

WC expert, Major Anderson, gave the following reasons as possibilities of why LHO scored so low.

"It might well have been a bad day for firing the rifle windy, rainy, dark."

"There is some possibility that the rifle he was firing might not have been as good a rifle as the rifle that he was firing in his A course firing, because may well have carried this rifle for quite some time, and it got banged around in normal usage."

"There is little probability that he had a good, expert coach, and he probably didn't have as high a motivation because he was no longer in recruit training and under the care of the drill instructor."

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11/22/63

LHO is 4 yrs removed from any kind of firearms training or coaching.

How much farther had his shooting skills eroded? 

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In this video, Mark Lane interviews Sgt. Nelson Delgado, who served in the Marines with Lee Harvey Oswald. Sgt. Delgado describes Oswald's lack of shooting skill on the rifle range and how the FBI tried to pressure him to say Oswald was a good shot.

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http://www.jfk-assassination.de/warren/wch/vol11/page301.php

http://www.jmasland.com/wctestimony/usmc/zahm.htm

http://jfkassassination.net/russ/jfkinfo3/exhibits/anderson1.htm

[John Iacoletti]

Oswald had been out of the Marines much much longer than Whitman.

[Peter Kleinschmidt]

When assessing Oswald's rifle skills two factors need to be taking into account: Reguly army qualifies on 300m targets. USMC qualify on 500m targets. Also, qualification standards are tougher in the USMC.
As you can see from the scoring below, scoring marksman in the Marines is pretty close to scoring sharpshooter in the Army, but qualifying expert is about the same in the Army & Marines.

Army:
23/40 (57%) = marksman
30/40 (75%) = sharpshooter
36/40 (90%) = expert

Marines:
190/250 (76%) = marksman
210/250 (84%) = sharpshooter
220/250 (88%) = expert
Oswald was a good shot not only compared to civilians but also compared to regular army rifleman.

Oswald's first rifle scores and Charles Whitmans USMC rifle scores are pretty much identical. On 1st August 1966, Whitman shot dead 11 people and wounded 31 others, from 28 floors up. Although Whitman's weapons were far superior to Oswald's and can't be compared, this does show that claiming Oswald to be a 'bad' shot based on his USMC qualification scores is prepositions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Whitman
“Every Marine a Rifleman”

I can't find the part where the marine's training facilities are downtown. Plus, there isn't nearly enough room on the sixth floor for so many marines and there's only one window to shoot from. Don't forget it is also a different weapon.

[Denis Pointing]

Cts love to show the Lane-Delgado interview where Delgado mocks Oswald's shooting skills, they don't like to show this one so much: 

In it Delgado openly states that although Oswald scored so low (191) he believes Oswald was a better shot than that and the reason for the low score was because he'd completely lost interest in the USMC and was about to leave.
Another interesting fact, (not stated in interview) Oswald and Degado qualified on the same day, at the same range. Unlike Oswald, Degado loved serving in the USMC, again, unlike Oswald, Degado was enthusiastically trying to get as high a score as possible. Oswald scored 191 Degado scored 192!!

John Iacoletti stated earlier: "Oswald had been out of the Marines much much longer than Whitman." Oswald committed his murders four years after leaving the Corps. Whitman committed his murders two years after being discharged. I guess the term "much much longer" is subjective.