Video: The Boom Click Click Boom Click Click Boom Click Click Guy

[Duncan MacRae]

The Boom Click Click Boom Click Click Boom Click Click Guy, AKA Harold Norman

[John Corbett]

It is well known I don't place much faith in uncorroborated eye and ear witness accounts. All such accounts must be weighed against the body of evidence as a whole. Norman's account contradicts those who said the last two shots were close together. He is describing 3 fairly evenly spaced shots. While that alone does not establish that was the case, it does fit with the scenario in which the second shot was the single bullet fired about Z219-220 and the third shot was fired at Z310-311. It does not fit with scenarios in which JBC was struck several seconds after JFK was hit. There were 4.9 seconds between the two shots which struck JFK. To believe JBC was hit by an intervening shot, one would have to believe that Oswald fired his second and third shots in the bare minimum time required to fire an aimed shot with a Carcano rifle. It also requires one to ignore the obvious gyrations JBC exhibited which began simultaneously with JFK's reaction to the bullet which struck him in the back. It is my firm belief that there were almost 4 seconds between the first and second shots and almost 5 seconds between the second and third shots. While not perfectly evenly spaced, it does conform with how Norman described what he heard.

[Royell Storing]

  If You really believe the POTUS was under fire for a continuous 9 - 10+ Seconds, and Not a single member of the SS returned fire or so much as even left their car to try and locate/liquidate the shooter(s), then you are Indicting the SS. This 9 - 10+ seconds of active fire with Zero Proactive Response means the SS was either Totally Incompetent or Complicit. There's no 2 ways about it. Being under fire for a continuous 9 - 10+ seconds is an extremely Long Time. And then everybody just drives off? If you saw this in a B Movie you would say, "Never gonna happen".

[John Corbett]

  If You really believe the POTUS was under fire for a continuous 9 - 10+ Seconds, and Not a single member of the SS returned fire or so much as even left their car to try and locate/liquidate the shooter(s), then you are Indicting the SS. This 9 - 10+ seconds of active fire with Zero Proactive Response means the SS was either Totally Incompetent or Complicit. There's no 2 ways about it. Being under fire for a continuous 9 - 10+ seconds is an extremely Long Time. And then everybody just drives off? If you saw this in a B Movie you would say, "Never gonna happen".

Apparently, the Secret Service agents did not recognize the first sound as being a gunshot. We can speculate why that was but it's possible the roar of the motorcycles accelerating out of the sharp turn onto Elm St. partially muted the sound of the first shot. Clint Hill only remembered hearing 2 shots which tell me he either didn't hear the first shot or could not identify it as a gunshot. When he heard the second shot and saw JFK raise his arms up to his throat level, he started to race toward the limo. Altgens 6 shows us he did not take off until about two seconds after JFK was hit. That seems like a rather slow response time, but it's not surprising he would take that long to figure out what was happening. The photo also shows us the two agents on the other side of the limo were still looking back at the TSBD. Neither of them ever made a move toward the limo even after JFK was shot.

So, yes, the Secret Service response time was slow. I'm sure the agents were trained on what to do in various scenarios, but nothing can prepare one for the actual event when it happens suddenly and unexpectedly. Had the agents immediately recognized what was happening when the first shot was fired and started racing toward the limo immediately, they might have got there in time to prevent the 3rd shot from killing JFK. Had he only been hit in the upper torso, that would have been a serious wound, but he likely would have survived. For many years after the assassination, Clint Hill felt guilty that he did not react sooner than he did. I've always wondered whether the other agents on the running boards had the same feelings of guilt.

[John Mytton]

  If You really believe the POTUS was under fire for a continuous 9 - 10+ Seconds, and Not a single member of the SS returned fire or so much as even left their car to try and locate/liquidate the shooter(s), then you are Indicting the SS. This 9 - 10+ seconds of active fire with Zero Proactive Response means the SS was either Totally Incompetent or Complicit. There's no 2 ways about it. Being under fire for a continuous 9 - 10+ seconds is an extremely Long Time. And then everybody just drives off? If you saw this in a B Movie you would say, "Never gonna happen".

We see here the reactions of some of the SS, after what most researchers believe was the 2nd shot, they look back towards where they heard shot/shots being fired from and I'm guessing they are aware the President has been hit.
For a start they weren't going to fire randomly into the crowd or at the buildings because that's just crazy.
Secondly, this was a sudden unique event, being fired upon while they were in moving cars, did their training include this scenario?
Thirdly, do they abandon the President and leave him potentially vulnerable to further attacks and leave local enforcement to locate the shooter?



In hindsight, they should have offered better protection, like riding constantly on the Limo.
Clint Hill was at different stages of the Parade riding on the Limo, but should have been there 100% of the time. And if IIRC JFK's side was partially ridden on as well.
And Greer ASAP should have put the pedal to the metal.



JohnM

[Royell Storing]

Apparently, the Secret Service agents did not recognize the first sound as being a gunshot. We can speculate why that was but it's possible the roar of the motorcycles accelerating out of the sharp turn onto Elm St. partially muted the sound of the first shot. Clint Hill only remembered hearing 2 shots which tell me he either didn't hear the first shot or could not identify it as a gunshot. When he heard the second shot and saw JFK raise his arms up to his throat level, he started to race toward the limo. Altgens 6 shows us he did not take off until about two seconds after JFK was hit. That seems like a rather slow response time, but it's not surprising he would take that long to figure out what was happening. The photo also shows us the two agents on the other side of the limo were still looking back at the TSBD. Neither of them ever made a move toward the limo even after JFK was shot.

So, yes, the Secret Service response time was slow. I'm sure the agents were trained on what to do in various scenarios, but nothing can prepare one for the actual event when it happens suddenly and unexpectedly. Had the agents immediately recognized what was happening when the first shot was fired and started racing toward the limo immediately, they might have got there in time to prevent the 3rd shot from killing JFK. Had he only been hit in the upper torso, that would have been a serious wound, but he likely would have survived. For many years after the assassination, Clint Hill felt guilty that he did not react sooner than he did. I've always wondered whether the other agents on the running boards had the same feelings of guilt.

  The above, "shoulda woulda" scenario is comically uninformed. SA Clint Hill was SPECIFICALLY Assigned to protect Jackie Kennedy. Why do you think he was climbing onto the Limo Trunk DIRECTLY behind Jackie Kennedy? Clint Hill was hitting the "hard stuff" the night previous. Other SS Agents were too. Personally, I believe what you are labeling as a "slow response time", is what Joe 6 Pack calls a "hang over". The SS is held to an exceptionally high standard. Those numerous SS Agents downing the "Who Hit John" the night before, failed miserably at even coming close to this high bar.   

[John Corbett]

In hindsight, they should have offered better protection, like riding constantly on the Limo.
Clint Hill was at different stages of the Parade riding on the Limo, but should have been there 100% of the time. And if IIRC JFK's side was partially ridden on as well.
And Greer ASAP should have put the pedal to the metal.



JohnM

In defense of the Secret Service, JFK did not like having the agents ride on the back bumper. Apparently, he thought it was a bad visual. He never ordered them to stay off the back bumper, but he expected them to use their discretions when doing so. I'm guessing the photo of Clint Hill on the back bumper was taken somewhere on Main St when the crowds started encroaching onto the street and were getting too close for comfort. There's an overhead photo of Greer opening the car door part way to force the spectators to back up.