60 years later: Secret Service agent Clint Hill's reflections on the JFK assassination and its aftermath

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 left an indelible mark on the nation, with many memorable images seared into the collective memory. One such image, taken just moments after Kennedy was shot, captured the attention of news outlets across America. It showed a Secret Service agent, Clint Hill, jumping onto the back of the presidential limousine to shield the president and first lady.

Now 91 years old, in an interview with NPR, Hill reflects on that fateful day as the 60th anniversary of the assassination approaches. He grapples with the fact that he is forever known as the man who tried to save the president. "That six-second period in Dallas, it's not an easy thing to live with," Hill admits.

Before the assassination, Hill was simply known as Clint Hill. However, his actions on that tragic day changed his life forever. As he recalls, President Kennedy was unlike any other leader he had protected. Kennedy took the time to know his agents personally, addressing them by their first names and showing genuine interest in their lives. This made Hill and his fellow agents have the utmost respect for the president.

"Eisenhower, when he would refer to us agents, that was just, 'Hey, agent!'" Hill recalled. "With Kennedy, he knew your first name. He knew if you were married. He knew if you had children. And he would stop, and he would talk to you. And so, we had the utmost respect for him."

Hill remembers the tragic events

On the day of the assassination, Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline were greeted by large crowds at Dallas Love Field. The number of onlookers grew as the motorcade made its way through Dallas. Hill vividly remembers the excitement turning into horror when he heard a loud noise over his shoulder. At first, he thought it was a firecracker, but when he saw the president's reaction, he knew something was terribly wrong.

Without hesitation, Hill ran from his position in the follow-up car to jump onto the back of the presidential limousine. As he climbed on board, another shot rang out, striking the president in the head. Hill shielded Jacqueline Kennedy with his body as the limousine sped towards the hospital, fully aware that the president's wounds were likely fatal.

In the aftermath of the assassination, Hill was overwhelmed with guilt. He accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy, still wearing her bloodstained suit, to Lyndon B. Johnson's swearing-in aboard Air Force One. The sight of her tear-streaked face filled him with immense guilt and shame.

"As I look at her face, streaked with tears, her eyes so hollow and lifeless, a wave of guilt and shame washes over me," Hill recalls in the book. "How did I let this happen to her?".

The years that followed did little to ease Hill's guilt. Despite serving three more presidents after Jacqueline Kennedy, he struggled to come to terms with what had transpired in Dallas. The Secret Service offered no counseling or support at the time, and post-traumatic stress disorder was not recognized as it is today.