Few moments in history are as seared into the American consciousness as the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
And in those chaotic seconds, one man—Clint Hill—risked everything to protect the First Lady.
Hill, the Secret Service agent who leapt onto JFK’s limousine in Dallas on November 22, 1963, has passed away at 93.
Who Was Hill?
Hill’s lightning-fast reflexes were immortalized in the Zap ruder film, but he carried the weight of what-ifs for decades.
“Had I reacted half a second faster… I would have taken the shot,” he once told 60 Minutes, haunted by guilt.
Though honored for his bravery, the trauma eventually led him to retire early in 1975.
It took years—and a return to Dallas—for Hill to finally accept he couldn’t have changed history.
Hill’s passing marks the end of a life forever linked to one of America’s darkest days.
But if history remembers him for anything, it should be for his unwavering devotion—to duty, to country, and to protecting those in his charge, no matter the cost.
