An Analysis of the Life of Lee Harvey Oswald by Anonymous

            Lee Harvey Oswald killed President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 (LEE HARVEY OSWALD). Sadly, the motives of Oswald killing the President are never to be known. Before he could be thoroughly interrogated, Oswald is shot and killed by assassin Jack Ruby on November 24^th, 1963 (1). While we will never be able to fully understand why Oswald killed our nation’s leader, we can analyze the events of his life to try and get a better understanding of his mental psyche when he murdered Kennedy.

            It is impossible to determine whether Oswald was a disturbed individual, but if he was then the source of his insanity can be found by looking toward his childhood. Born October 18, 1939, to widow Marguerite Oswald, Oswald and his family moved from house to house in the New Orleans area for the first few years of his life until he moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in January of 1944 (Lee Oswald Timeline 1 / Childhood and Youth). At that time Oswald started schooling, but despite this Oswald’s family continued to move over the following years of his life causing him to attend 12 different schools throughout his educational career (1). 1952, however, was the low point of his educational career, at this time Oswald was sent to a youth home for troubled children, due to his truancy problems (1).

            While moving around would not raise a child with a strong psyche, this alone would not lead him to become an assassin, therefore the source of any of Oswald’s mental health problems would be found in his adult life (Lee Harvey Oswald: Troubled Youth." Lee Harvey Oswald: Troubled Youth). After leaving school, Oswald goes to Marine Corps got basic training in San Diego on October 26, 1956 and continues in the Marines until he is released from active duty on September 11, 1959 (LEE HARVEY OSWALD). During Oswald’s time in service he had a few altercations with his commanding officer and was a difficult man to work with (1).

            After his time in service, Oswald left to visit Europe and had an apparent suicide attempt in Moscow on October 21^st, 1959 (LEE HARVEY OSWALD). Ten days later Oswald attempts to renounce his U.S. citizenship and he goes to live in Russia for the next two years (1). During this time, Oswald is put under close surveillance of the KGB (Ivestia).  Eventually Oswald would meet and marry his wife, Marina Nikolayevna Psuakova, while in Russia in the spring of 1961. Together they would come back to America and live out their lives in Dallas, Texas (LEE HARVEY OSWALD).

            Throughout Oswald's time in Texas, the man had been conducting suspicious activities. The man purchased multiple firearms and attempted to assassinate Major General Edwin Anderson Walker (LEE HARVEY OSWALD). After his failed attempt to kill General Walker on April 10th, 1963, Oswald flees Texas and goes to Florida for a few months (1). Upon his return to Dallas, Oswald gets a job at the Texas School Book Depository in Dealey Plaza, the building he would shoot at President Kennedy from in the following month (1).

            Lee Harvey Oswald, was a strange character but even by analyzing his history closely it is difficult to find out why he would kill President Kennedy. It is no mystery that Oswald was the assassin to President Kennedy, but the mystery behind Kennedy's death is why did Oswald kill the man? Was Oswald mentally unstable due to his unstable childhood and military service, or was he under the influence of the KGB due to his time spent living in Russia?