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became available. In summary, the LaFontaines have misrepresented a change
in Army policy as a DOD-wide change in policy, and did not mention that an
orderly transition between the "old" reserve I.D. card (the Tan DD 1173)
and the "new" reserve I.D. card (the Red DD 2A [Res]) was allowed for, and
apparently expected, due to initial shortages of the new document. While
the decision to discontinue use of the DD 1173 for reservists surely
flowed down from some level of the DOD to the Army (as well as the other
Armed Services), without documentary evidence one should not assume that
the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force all discontinued the DD 1173 at the
same time; each Armed Service promulgates its own regulations (and changes
thereto)-- at its own speed--and would have been responsible for printing
and distributing its own, unique versions of the new Red I.D. card for
reservists.

Lead # 7/Allegation: That Oswald was the only Marine in his unit to
receive the DD 1173 I.D. card.

Findings: Incorrect. The author sampled the military enlisted personnel
files of 11 additional Marine personnel (in addition to Lee Harvey Oswald)
in order to determine whether other Marines inside or outside of Oswald's
unit also received the DD 1173 I.D. card upon discharge from active duty.
Of the twelve total names sampled, seven (7) of the individuals contained
entries in their Marine personnel files which indicated that they received
the DD 1173 I.D. card; two (2) contained entries in their records
indicating that they received the DD Form 2MC (RES), or "red" I. D. card;
and three (3) of the records sampled contained entries in the
"administrative remarks" section which were not specific enough to
definitively determine what kind of I. D. Card was issued upon discharge
of the service member (but which suggested that two of these three
individuals received the DD 1173, based on serial number analysis). Of the
seven total personnel who definitely received the DD 1173, five of them
had served in the same unit as Lee Harvey Oswald, MACS-9, at MCAS El Toro,
California. A summary is provided below showing the names sampled, type
(and date) of I.D. card received, and unit in which the member served
(i.e., last PCS assignment) immediately prior to being processed for
discharge:


Go to Summary of Allegations, page 7