Clint Hill was a 31-year-old Secret Service agent on that fateful day in Dallas in November 1963 when Lee Harvey Oswald altered the course of American history.
He’s the guy in the famous Zapruder film, flinging his body over first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Now 85, Hill recalled in an interview with LifeZette that he had no time to think before swinging into action.
“It was an instant reaction to the events that were happening,” said Hill, who was riding in the vehicle behind the presidential car. “My only thought was to get there as quickly as possible, form that shield, give the driver a chance to evacuate the area. It’s what we call ‘cover and evacuate.'”
Hill said that by the time he reached the Kennedy’s car on Nov. 22, 1963, the president had already been shot. He said he immediately saw the severity of the head wound and noted that the president’s eyes were fixed.
“I assumed at that moment that he was dead,” he said. “And I turned to give a thumbs-down to the follow-up car crew to let them know, and then I screamed at the driver to get us to the hospital.”
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