By Steve Neavling
Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who jumped onto President John F. Kennedy’s limousine to shield Jacqueline Kennedy during the 1963 assassination, has died at 93, the agency announced Monday.
Hill’s family said he passed away peacefully at home with his wife by his side, according to a statement released through the Secret Service, NBC News reports.
Born in North Dakota, Hill joined the agency in 1958 as a special agent in the Denver field office. Over nearly two decades of service, he protected five presidents, from Dwight Eisenhower to Gerald Ford, and eventually became the Secret Service’s director of protective operations.
On Nov. 22, 1963, as shots rang out in Dealey Plaza, Hill rushed onto the back of the open limousine to shield the first lady. His quick response became one of the most searing images of that day.
Known by the code name “Dazzle,” Hill received the highest civilian honor for bravery awarded by the U.S. Treasury Department, which oversaw the Secret Service at the time.
He retired in 1975, later acknowledging he suffered from what is now recognized as PTSD. In the years that followed, he co-wrote several books with his wife, journalist Lisa McCubbin Hill, including his memoir Mrs. Kennedy and Me.
“Clint Hill was more than a hero — he was a man of profound humility, dedication, and unwavering integrity,” former Secret Service Director Lew Merletti said.
In its statement Monday, the Secret Service praised Hill’s lifelong commitment to duty.
“Clint’s career exemplified the highest ideals of public service,” the agency said. “We mourn the loss of a respected colleague and dear friend whose contributions to the agency and the nation will forever be remembered.”
