JFK's fatal head wound: The truth for those who want to know (very graphic)

jmasland.com & others | 11/22/03

[Wolfstar]

The Zapruder film proves itself to be authentic. There is no possibility that any frames could have been cut out of the film or altered. Why/how? Every time a frame was exposed, part of the background scene was exposed onto both the next frame and the previous frame in the sprocket hole areas. This is because the sproket holes are between frames, as shown below:

The head shot, frame-by-frame:

Frame 312

Frame 313

Frame 313 enlarged:

Frame 314

Frame 315

Frame 316

Frame 317

Frame 318

Frame 319

Frame 320

The head wound:

The large flap of skull, skin and other tissue blown out above and just in front of the president’s right ear. The flap stayed attached and hung over the president's right cheek. On the ride to Parkland, Mrs. Kennedy attempted to put it back in place. What the doctors saw at Parkland was the wound partially closed with the shattered pieces at the top rear of the wound missing. Hence, some doctors recalled a wound in that area:

[gdc61]

what was the estimated distance from the book repository to the limo?

[Shooter 2.5]

Oswald's Winchester-Western's were 161 grains and 2000 FPS.

[Shooter 2.5]

44 and 88 Yards.

Take that rifle out and see if you can get two out of three hits in 8.1 with the first shot starting the clock.

[Az Joe]

Proof.

[gdc61]

from sitting pos. w/sandbag, 75-80yds w/opensight, 5in pie plate & a 5round pushthrough clip. (after wasting half a box @ $33 bucks a box to adjust the bent front sight) 5 shots inside a 3in circle. i was impressed enough to want to put a scope on it....... just counting out loud and making the motions i could even get 4 shots off with time to breath and squeeze. and i'm no rambo or audey murphy for that matter.

[gdc61]

.....The Devils greatest trick has been to convince modern man that he doesn't exist....
thats good! i'm gonna steal it!...eerr borrow..

[gdc61]

this ammo came from NORMA and is listed 156gr. and 2428fps at 0 and drops to 2174fps at 100yds. i'm surprised shaving .005gr off would effect the velocity that much.

[gdc61]

i didn't know the specifics of the original ammo. were they hollowpoint?

[Shooter 2.5]

Yeah, I figured an owner of a Carcano had to try it.

They were the old service full metal jacket bullets sold by Wichester-Western.

That quote is from the movie, "The Usual Suspects".

[Swordmaker]

So far, the two doctors who have posted on FR on this topic, you and Ophiucus, have come down on the side of frontal wound.

That's two physicians (at least one with extensive experience in gun shot wounds) against a bunch of amatuers. Hmmmmm.

Who to give the greatest weight?

Tough call.

[gooleyman]

"The reason they didn't go down Main is because the limo was too low to jump a curb to go from Main to the Stemmens Freeway. "

-----
I ran across an interesting article you two may be interested in reading. In it there is a map of the motorcade route by the book store. Here's a link to the particular comment: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1028269/posts?q=1&&page=51#55

Also, here's an article of excerpts from various books explaining that the motorcade route was changed the morning of the 22nd: http://www.madbbs.com/~tracy/lho/vpal4.txt
Do a CTRL+F and find the word "route" for the passages.

Give me your impressions.

[gdc61]

did oswalds rifle have a scope ? if so it must have been a side mount. or had the bolt handle bent farther.

[Swordmaker]

The only bullet photos I have seen are of one intact bullet that was found on JFK's stretcher.

Er, Cholera, the bullet in question was found on Connely's gurney, not Kennedy's. No other bullets were retrieved, as far as I know. The head wound bullet(s) were not recovered, nor was the bullet that hit the pavement.

AS for the X-rays, here they are:

I am curious if anyone has measure the angle of the trajectory from the vertebral damage on the right side of the vertebra to the exit/entrance wound on the neck and compared in both XY axes it to the wound on the back, the location of the sixth floor window, etc. The source of this picture thinks they would not match...

High Resolution Autopsy Photo of the head wound Definately NOT for the squeamish...

[gooleyman]

Another thing: Here's a link to a book which describes the expert shooters who did demonstrations for the Warren Commission trying to shoot an exact rifle like Oswalds at an actual target (albeit stationary) and real bullets at different distances.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/assassins/jfk/11.html

Here's an excerpt from the conclusions:
"These guys did not mess around. They set three targets at three different distances -- 175, 240 and 365 feet and shooting from a tower 30 feet high with the same rifle, that funny Italian job, away they went. Remember this was again a stationary target that they used for this experiment. The first two marksmen not only missed the time frame, they missed the target. The third guy, a man called Miller, was the only one ever, to match Oswald's shooting speed, but his shots were so wild, his third shot not only missed the target, it missed the board it was mounted on."

"Don't forget. These top-class marksmen, the best in the land, were all shooting at stationary targets. It was agreed that a moving target would have slowed down the speed of shooting. To help them achieve their remarkable efficiency, these army experts had also corrected the inaccurate telescopic sight, which of course Oswald did not."
END OF EXCERPT

Let me know your perceptions of this also.

[Az Joe]

The forensics on the wounds make it a near 100% certainty that the shots were fired from the corner window of the sixth floor of the School Book Depository.

Oswald was seen in that window several seconds before and after the shooting.

The data on the expert tests does not refute those facts.

[Indie]

Note the applesauce sprayed backwards..

Thanks! I was looking all over for just such a ballistic demo but ya' beat me to it! :))

[Ophiucus]

I am curious if anyone has measure the angle of the trajectory from the vertebral damage on the right side of the vertebra to the exit/entrance wound on the neck and compared in both XY axes it to the wound on the back, the location of the sixth floor window, etc.

Good luck. There are more than one reported locations for the entrance wound on the back. Measurements have been made from the occipital protuberance, the collar, and the base of the skull. The Warren Report shows a disagreement or confusion about the back wound. I have seen accounts that it was either 4 inches below the occipital protuberance and about 1-2 inches to the right of the spine, approximately two inches below the collar line and adjacent to the spine, 6 or 7 inches below the base of the skull and slightly left of the spine, and 6 inches from the collar line and 3 - 4 inches to the left of the spine.

The wound at the front was described as an entrance wound at Parkland as a centimeter in diameter and directly above the clavicular notch (about a figure width below the larynx. However, this was described as a 1 inch latitudinal incision at the beginning of the autopsy but a 3-4 inch gaping exit wound in the autopsy report.

I think that Kennedy must have been slumped over forwards for the back shot to transit through the neck - which is definitely possible.

[Indie]

The extreme unlikelihood of the 2 hits/3 shots/6 seconds scenario was highlighted in the 1967 CBS rifle test. Eleven highly skilled marksmen participated in a fairly (though not totally) realistic simulation of the conditions under which Oswald would have had to fire. NOT ONE of the eleven expert shooters managed to score two hits on his first attempt--and Oswald would have had only one attempt. In fact, of the eleven CBS shooters, SEVEN failed to score two hits on ANY of their attempts.

They may have all come from the back, but same gunman (?) appears to be the main question. I don't know the answer to this...but were all 3 bullets found and proven to be from same gun?

[gooleyman]

"...but were all 3 bullets found and proven to be from same gun?"

-----
No, no bullets were found at the scene. The one bullet that was "found" was the infamous pristine "magic bullet" that is purported to have passed through JFK & Governor Connelly (sp?) was found on Conelly's stretcher after "falling" out of a shallow wound in either his wrist or his leg. There were no marks on it. It was as if it hadn't touched anything.

[Swordmaker]

I think that Kennedy must have been slumped over forwards for the back shot to transit through the neck - which is definitely possible.

If that is the case, then the Zapruder film is evidence against it. Kennedy is seen sitting upright just before disappearing behind the highway sign and when he comes out he is still upright, holding both hands infront of his throat. Did anyone ever comment on the amount of blood on his hands??? An exit wound from the throat would bleed a great deal, I would think (You are the expert on that). His shirt is apparently fairly clean on the front collar. There is a "nick" on his tie, supposedly from the entering/exiting bullet.

The doctors in the ER at Parkland would have cut his clothing offto examine him. I really doubt they would miss a "gaping" 3-4 inch exit wound in the neck... especially if they use it to perform a tracheotomy.

Check out the photo of the back entry wound:

Back entry wound autopsy photo Hi-Rez

And see if you can get a better handle on its position.