DUTY ENDS
Secret Service agent Clint Hill who leapt onto JFK’s car during assassination dies aged 93
The agent has previously said he could have prevented JFK's death by putting himself in the line of fire
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 Hill passed away peacefully at his home in California next to his wife after spending decades haunted by the deadly shooting.
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In November 1963, Clint was assigned to protect the president's wife, Jackie Kennedy as they rode in 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 the First Lady 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.
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The heartbreaking unearthed clip showed a terrified Jackie reaching out to grab his hand as they both saw the president's slumped body in the car.
Clint was then tasked with helping move the body to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.
After Kennedy's death was confirmed, Clint was responsible for buying a casket and ensuring its safe transportation back to the White House.
Clint died on February 21, with his cause of death yet to be confirmed, according to his publisher Gallery Books.
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Originally from North Dakota, he served in the US Army before joining 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.
The US marks the 60th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination
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.
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."
He also told The Sun in an exclusive chat in 2018 that he "could never, and has never been able to erase the murder from my mind”.
Clint has left behind his wife Lisa McCubbin, who he married in 2021, after the pair collaborated on a bestselling memoir titled Mrs Kennedy and Me.
It was the first of a series of books by Clint around the assassination.
A heartbroken Lisa paid tribute to her husband in a touching Instagram post.
It read: "From the moment we met, there was an undeniable spark between us.
"We had that once-in-a-lifetime love that everyone hopes for - a relationship filled with passion, respect, admiration, and the pure joy of being together.
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"I am eternally grateful for every day and every moment of the past 15 years we shared. To us, forever. Rest in Peace my Sweet Prince."
Clint also leaves behind two children in Chris and Corey.
JFK assassination explained
JFK's was assassinated as he sat in a motorcade as it traveled through downtown Dallas on November 22, 1963.
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy sat next to her husband at the time as the limousine turned off Main Street at Dealey Plaza around 12:30 pm.
As they passed the Texas School Book Depository, gunfire suddenly reverberated in the plaza.
Bullets struck the president's neck and head as he slumped over toward Mrs. Kennedy.
The atrocity was caught on film which was only recovered some time after the death.
JFK's killer was announced as Lee Harvey Oswald.
Oswald is believed to have fired three bullets - the first missed, while the third delivered the fatal blow to the President’s head.
The second bullet has been at the centre of theories of another shooter — possibly hiding on the grassy knoll that the motorcade passed.
The Warren Commission concluded this bullet hit Kennedy at the back of his neck, passed through his throat and went on to hit Texas Governor John Connally, who was sitting in the front of the car.
It then passed through Connally’s chest to hit his wrist and thigh.
Cops arrested Oswald just an hour later and took him to a local police station.
Another officer, Patrolman J. D. Tippit, was also killed by Oswald.
On Sunday November 24, Oswald was scheduled to be transferred from police headquarters to a county jail.
Viewers tuned in all across America to watch a live television of the event but suddenly a man shot Oswald at point-blank range with a pistol.
He was identified as Jack Ruby, a local nightclub owner.
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