Clint Hill, the iconic Secret Service agent who risked his life to protect President John F. Kennedy during the 1963 assassination, has passed away at 93. Hill died in his home in California, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of bravery and dedication in the service of U.S. presidents.
On November 22, 1963, Hill was part of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s security detail as the president’s motorcade made its way through Dallas. When shots rang out, Hill, stationed in a car just behind the president, made a split-second decision that would define his life. In an act of pure instinct, he leapt onto the back of the moving vehicle in a desperate effort to shield the Kennedys from further gunfire. That moment, captured in a haunting photograph of Hill climbing onto the car’s trunk, remains an indelible image of selfless heroism.
In later years, Hill would reflect on that tragic day with a sense of regret, even though he acted with immense courage. “If I had reacted just a little bit quicker,” Hill confessed in a 60 Minutes interview, “I’ll live with that to my grave.”
Following Kennedy’s death, Hill continued to serve the nation, providing protection to Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Dwight Eisenhower. He retired from the Secret Service at 43, having left an indelible mark on the history of presidential protection.
Hill later became an author, penning books such as Five Days in November, in which he relived the events of Kennedy’s assassination, and Five Presidents, detailing his experiences guarding some of the most powerful men in the world. His writings offered an intimate look at the pivotal moments that defined his career and life.
Clint Hill’s death marks the end of an era, but his courage and commitment to safeguarding the highest office in the land will be remembered forever. As he once wrote, “In the blink of an eye, everything changed,” and for Hill, that change would shape him in ways no one could have ever anticipated.
