THE brave Secret Service agent who leapt onto John F Kennedy’s limousine after he was assassinated has died at the age of 93.
Clint Hall passed away peacefully at his home in California next to his wife after spending decades haunted by the deadly shooting.
The brave Secret Service agent who leapt onto John F Kennedy’s limousine after he was assassinated has died at the age of 93AP
APClint passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his wife after spending decades haunted by the deadly shooting[/caption]
AlamyA photo taken minutes before JFK was shot dead in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963[/caption]
In November 1963, Clint was assigned to protect the president’s wife, Jacqueline Kennedy as they rode a motorcade through Dallas, Texas.
Hill was riding on the side of a car behind the Kennedy’s limousine.
After the first shots rang out – directly hitting Kennedy – Clint heroically dived towards Jacqueline and climbed into the limo as the shooting continued.
An iconic image of Clint hanging onto the car as it sped away from the horrified crowds was later shown after footage of the assassination was released.
Clint, originally from North Dakota, served in the US Army before he joined the Secret Service in 1958.
He was given an award for his bravery in Dallas and managed to rise through the ranks to assistant director of the Secret Service.
But Kennedy’s assassination plagued the next few decades of his life due to Clint believing he could have stopped the president’s death.
Shortly after his early retirement at the age of 43, Clint spoke to CBS 60 Minutes about what went through his mind during the shooting heard around the world.
He said: “If I had reacted about five-tenths of a second faster, maybe a second faster, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Clint was quizzed by interviewer Mike Wallace around what exactly he meant by the comment.
The proud patriot replied that he would have “been fine” with the bullet hitting him and missing Kennedy.
“I have a great deal of guilt about that,” he said.
“Had I turned in a different direction, I’d have made it. It’s my fault.”
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