working and you were away working, and your brother John was in the Coast Guard, continued, I take it, when he began attendance and while he was attending W. C. Stripling Junior High School?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Was there a discussion, a family discussion when you enlisted in the Marines, or prior to your enlisting in the Marines, as to your doing so, and quitting high school?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; there was not.
Mr. Jenner. That was of your own volition?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Did you talk to your mother in advance about it?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Not at all?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Had anything preceded in the way of family discussion of your brother John's entry into the Coast Guard?
Mr. Oswald. I feel like it was, sir. He had previously——
Mr. Jenner. This is your best recollection?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
He had previously, before going into the Coast Guard, joined the Marine Corps Reserve, the base of which was, at that time, at Grand Prairie, Tex. I believe it was 105 Howitzer, something like that. And he was perhaps in that 4 or 5 months before he joined the Coast Guard. When it came up about the Coast Guard, I believe we all talked about it, or at least he talked to Lee about it in front of me.
Mr. Jenner. You used an expression, "I believe we talked about it." Is it your recollection that you did?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir. Nothing that I remember particular about that.
Mr. Jenner. What was the character of the discussion, Mr. Oswald? You had a family in which your mother was having some difficulty supporting you boys? You had a brother who needed to be supported. Was there any discussion—or was there a discussion of what would happen in the event that first John and then you joined the service?
Mr. Oswald. I believe reflecting on what mother said to me when I made my decision to join the Marine Corps was that perhaps it was the best thing, where I would not be a burden to her to that extent, and also perhaps be able to help her when she needed help. And I think this would be in line with what was said when John left for the Coast Guard, that this would be, of course, one less for her to take care of at the house, to feed and to clothe, and so forth. And it would relieve her of her responsibility along that line—it would help her, because of the limited amount of funds that she had coming in.
Mr. Jenner. Did you ever make an allotment of any portion of your service pay to your mother?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; I did not.
Mr. Jenner. To your knowledge, did John?
Mr. Oswald. No, sir; he did not.
Mr. Jenner. You were single at this time?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenner. Your brother John was?
Mr. Oswald. 1952?
Mr. Jenner. When he entered the Coast Guard.
Mr. Oswald. When he entered the Coast Guard he was single.
Mr. Jenner. Did he marry while he was in the service?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; he did.
Mr. Jenner. Now, was he in the Coast Guard when he married?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; he was.
Mr. Jenner. I take it he did leave the Coast Guard.
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; he has.
Mr. Jenner. And did he enter into military service when he left the Coast Guard?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; he did. He transferred from the Coast Guard into the U.S. Air Force.
Mr. Jenner. And when was that?
Mr. Oswald. I believe this to be around 1955. I believe it would be accurate to say in 1954. I do recall a letter from John to the extent that he lost a stripe when he transferred from one service to the other, and I believe this letter came to me when I was in Korea, which was 1954 and early '55. I believe it was 1954.
Mr. Jenner. When you were in Korea, did you say?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenner. When did you say, if you did, that your brother John married? Do you recall the year?
Mr. Oswald. I believe this would be late 1950 or '51.
Mr. Jenner. That was during the period you were working at the A&P?
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jenner. And where was he stationed at that time?
Mr. Oswald. New York City.
Mr. Jenner. Staten Island, I guess.
I would like to ask some questions about that later on, but I prefer now to return to this.
You enlisted in the Marines, then, in the summer of 1952.
Mr. Oswald. July 11, 1952.
Mr. Jenner. Would you give us in very short compass your military career?
Mr. Oswald. I went to boot camp at San Diego, Calif., and from San Diego I went to combat training at Camp Pendleton, Calif. When I left Camp Pendleton, I was transferred from the infantry into the Marine Air Wing.
I went to Jacksonville, Fla. to a preparatory school down there in Marine aviation—more or less to determine your ability and what your strong points were, and what field you would be best qualified in the aviation division.
From Jacksonville, Fla., I went into Millington, Tenn., right outside of Memphis, Tenn., a Navy school, where for approximately 6 months I attended metalsmith school.
From Memphis, Tenn., or Millington, Tenn., I went to Miami, Fla. for approximately 9 months. I was not in school any longer. I was on the job. And from Miami, I was sent overseas to Korea.
Mr. Jenner. And how long were you overseas?
Mr. Oswald. Approximately 18 months, sir.
Mr. Jenner. From when to when?
Mr. Oswald. I reported to Santa Ana, Calif. in January or February of 1954.
Mr. Jenner. And you were discharged from the Marines——
Mr. Oswald. July of 1955.
Mr. Jenner. So you had a full 3 years in the Marines.
Mr. Oswald. Yes, sir; that is correct.
Mr.
