Mr. POWERS. About him.
Mr. JENNER. In your testimony, do the best you can to give me your
impressions as of that time, as free as it is possible for you to
do of influence upon that recollection by the course of events that
took place on the 22d of November, and what you read about this and
thereafter, because it's important to us to get as objective a report
from you as we possibly can.
Mr. POWERS. I realize that. And this is why I say I'm not sure that
it's really true or something that you want to remember. It seems to
me there was an incident that he had a fight in the barracks at that
particular time.
Mr. JENNER. Excuse me. You men were quartered together in the same
barracks?
Mr. POWERS. That's correct, in the same wing of this particular
barracks. They separated the Marines from the Air Force as much as
possible, although we did have Air Force personnel in the room with us,
two in the room.
It seems to me at this particular time there was some kind of a
squabble and I can't recall what it was over, and this was the first
time that he actually showed, say, some backbone or willpower that he
stood up to somebody, or what the incident was over, I can't recall,
but there is something that sticks in the back of my mind there that
something came up at this particular time.
He was a good student, as I recall. I can't say that he was any better
than anybody else. But again, as an individual he appeared to be just
as good as anybody wanted to be.
Mr. JENNER. Our records show that he finished this course seventh in a
class of 30. Is that score somewhat of his ability?
Mr. POWERS. I couldn't truthfully say; at that time I wasn't qualified
to say who was----
Mr. JENNER. Were you boys advised as to how each of you fared in the
course of your studies?
Mr. POWERS. I can't truthfully say that either. I don't remember.
Mr. JENNER. Mr. Reporter, I did interrupt the witness when he was
talking about his impression about Oswald. Would you read that back to
me, please?
(Whereupon, the record was read by the reporter.)
Mr. JENNER. Had he had this nickname, Ozzie Rabbit, did he acquire
that before or--had he already acquired it when you boys came from
Jacksonville to Biloxi, or did you give it to him when you arrived at
Keesler?
Mr. POWERS. I think it was attached to him at Keesler as any individual
in our particular group were concerned; this was the first contact that
most of us had with each other as individuals. We were brought together
here at Keesler, and, of course, living and going to school together
and in close proximity with each other, we did get to know each other
personally more than at any other time.
I think this is the period of time that it was attached to my own mind
as well as the other people in the group.
Mr. JENNER. I take it you felt he was not aggressive as far as
leadership was concerned, and you boys felt that you didn't have to
worry about him as competitively?
Mr. POWERS. I would say so, yes; but of course, at this time of our
careers, if you would like to call it that, of marines, there wasn't
any real significance attached to leadership. It was still--we were
all the same rank. Of course, one being in the service longer, there
was always a senior marine as far as I was concerned, and I was the
marine in charge of this particular class if you--I think this is the
way they call it, class or flight squadron, whatever they call it, and
well, while at Keesler, I was promoted to corporal, which again was an
advancement in leadership, and, of course, there could never be any
differentiation of privates.
I was a corporal over privates, first class, and still with the closest
relationship that we had there, I don't think there was any rank
barrier or difference here.
I think we were all regarded that we were just marines at this school
and not trying to enforce authority at any particular time in which
we would get more in the infantry of the Marines. There a corporal is
a corporal, but in going to school like this, you wouldn't enforce
discipline to a point where people jumped when a person of higher rank
said something.
Mr. JENNER. What was your rank when you were mustered out?
Mr. POWERS. Out of the Marine Corps?
Mr. JENNER. Yes.
Mr. POWERS. I was a sergeant.
Mr. JENNER. What gave you the impression that he had or might have had
homosexual tendencies?