22 November 2023 marks 60 years of American President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas. It is remarkable to see how we remember little incidents in such big and shocking events, like the successor president Lyndon B. Johnson getting sworn on Air Force One!
One of the significant images that became quite popular was how a Secret Service Agent jumped on the car to shield the President and the first lady. This happened moments after the shots rang out! Clint Hill, the Secret Service Agent who jumped on the presidential limousine, is 91 years old today.
He is still trying to come to terms with the assassination and his failed attempt to save the beloved American President. According to an interview in the Radio Diaries, Clint says that the six-second period he was on the limousine was quite long!
Furthermore, Clint Hill confirms that it is not an easy thing to live with when he could not save his President from assassination. One of the major reasons Kennedy was loved by the people, his staff members, and others is his inclusive and positive nature.
As Clint recollects his memories of the President, he says that Eisenhower as a president was okay! But Kennedy was more personal, and he cared. One example that Hill states is that Eisenhower called the agents, “Hey agent!” when referring to the.
Instead, Kennedy addressed every Secret Service agent by name, knew about their personal lives, asked after their families and children, and was interactive with agents. This not only won over the agents, but they also had immense respect for the President.
In 1960, Clint Hill was assigned to the first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, but he realized it was much more than protecting the first lady. On the day of the assassination, Hill was on the running board of the follow-up car, and he heard a loud noise over his right shoulder.
Initially, he did not realize that it was a gunshot, but when he saw the reaction of the President with his hands going to his neck and falling on the left, he ran and climbed on the back of the presidential limousine. He was riddled with guilt after that!
Read Also:
