Clint Hill
Clinton J. Hill (* 1932 in North Dakota ) is a former American bodyguard and agent for the United States Secret Service . He was present at the assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy and was the responsible secret service agent for Jacqueline Kennedy .
Hill joined the United States Secret Service in Denver in 1958 and was assigned to the White House division in 1959. There he was responsible as a special agent for the security of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and after the victory of John F. Kennedy in 1960 for the first lady Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy.
The assassination
When the President's motorcade turned onto Elm Street in Dallas, Texas at 12:30 p.m. on November 22, 1963, Hill was in the Secret Service car, which was just behind the President's car. The first shot was fired as the motorcade continued to move towards the approaching underpass. Hill suspected a fireworks explosion and looked to the side, shortly afterwards he saw the president hit and ran to the president's car.
Before Hill could reach the car, the fatal headshot was fired. Hill climbed onto the trunk of the presidential limousine and then leaned protectively over the struck president and first lady.
The President who was hit was driven to the nearby Parkland Hospital, where the doctors could only determine that he was dead. Hill was the first to announce the death of the President and was given the arduous task of telephoning the President's brother, then Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy .
Subsequent years
Hill's role was that of the tragic hero. Years later, he still felt responsible for the president's death. Hill left the Secret Service in 1975 at the age of 43. Less than six months later, journalist Mike Wallace conducted an interview with Clint Hill for his TV magazine 60 Minutes . This was the first time that a secret service agent commented publicly on the attack. Hill admitted complicity in the assassination attempt and stated that he would have been willing to give his life for the president.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hill, Clint |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hill, Clinton J. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American bodyguard of Jacqueline Kennedy on the day her husband was assassinated |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | North Dakota |