Clint Hill, Secret Service Agent Who Responded to JFK Assassination, Dies at 93

Image credits: James W. "Ike" Altgens/AP

Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who leapt onto John F. Kennedy's limousine as it came under fire in Dallas, has died at the age of 93. Hill's actions during the assassination were captured on the Zapruder film, an amateur home video that provided one of the best recordings of the shooting. He was assigned to protect the president's wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, and was riding on a car behind the Kennedy limousine when the first shot rang out. Hill immediately rushed towards the couple and started to climb on to the back of the limousine as the shooting continued.

Hill's heroic scramble to protect Jackie Kennedy in the moments after the president was shot became an indelible image of the 1963 assassination. He was given an award for his actions in Dallas and eventually rose to become assistant director of the Secret Service. However, the trauma he experienced during the assassination led him to retire early from the agency in 1975, at the age of 43. Hill had become convinced that he could have saved Kennedy's life and was haunted by guilt and regret for decades. He later collaborated on a bestselling memoir, Mrs Kennedy and Me, with journalist Lisa McCubbin, whom he married in 2021.

The US Secret Service praised Hill's "unwavering dedication and exceptional service" in a statement, saying that his career exemplified the highest ideals of public service. Hill was born in Larimore, North Dakota, and served under four other US presidents as well: Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford. He was eventually forced to retire at 43 because of his post-traumatic stress disorder from the Kennedy assassination. The Hill family said in a statement that his service at the White House spanned the Cold War, the Cuban missile crisis, the assassinations of JFK and his brother Robert F. Kennedy, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war, and Watergate.

Here is a list of key events in Clint Hill's life: * Born in Larimore, North Dakota * Served in the Army prior to joining the Secret Service in 1958 * Assigned to protect the president's wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, on November 22, 1963 * Leapt onto John F. Kennedy's limousine as it came under fire in Dallas * Retired from the Secret Service in 1975 due to post-traumatic stress disorder * Collaborated on a bestselling memoir, Mrs Kennedy and Me, with journalist Lisa McCubbin * Married Lisa McCubbin in 2021 * Died at the age of 93, surrounded by his wife and family.

Clint Hill's death has been met with an outpouring of tributes from the Secret Service and other officials, who praised his bravery and dedication to public service. His legacy will be remembered as a hero who risked his life to protect the president and first lady, and his story will continue to be told for generations to come. Hill is survived by his wife Lisa McCubbin Hill, sons, and grandchildren, according to a statement from his family.