By Kylie Blanchard, Co-Editor
Washburn native and heroic U.S. Secret Service agent Clint Hill is being honored this summer in his hometown with a permanent memorial in the community’s Veteran’s Memorial Park.
Spearheaded by members of Washburn’s Victor B. Wallin American Legion Post No. 12, along with the support of a memorial committee comprised of American Legion and Auxiliary members; Hill’s wife, Lisa McCubbin-Hill; and community members and businesses, the memorial will be completed and formally dedicated on Aug. 1. 
“It’s been on the minds of several Washburn American Legion members for some time,” says John Schulz, chair of the memorial committee. “It will be a point of pride to have this memorial in our community.”
“Washburn’s Native Son”
Hill was born in 1932 in Larimore and was adopted by Washburn couple Chris and Jennie Hill. He attended Washburn Public School and was an active participant in school activities, including football, baseball, basketball, and band. He graduated in 1950 and attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, but returned to his home community each summer to work.
Hill served three years in the U.S. Army following college, where he was trained as a counterintelligence agent. At the age of 26, in 1958, he joined the U.S. Secret Service in Denver. A year later, he was assigned to protect President Dwight D. Eisenhower as part of the elite White House detail. When John F. Kennedy was elected president, Hill was assigned to protect First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
It was during his tenure protecting First Lady Kennedy that on Nov. 22, 1963, during the assassination of President Kennedy, Hill leapt onto the back of the presidential limousine to shield the president and first lady and was credited with saving the first lady. His courageous actions on this day would change the trajectory of his career and haunt him for years to come. Although not physically injured, the mental anguish he carried from that day remained a lifetime challenge.
During President Lydon B. Johnson’s administration, Hill became the special agent in charge of the Presidential Protective Division. In 1971, during President Richard M. Nixon’s administration, Hill was promoted to assistant director, responsible for all Secret Service protective forces.
In 1975, during President Gerald R. Ford’s administration, he retired at the age of 43, due to the physical and emotional toll of what is today known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to President Kennedy’s assassination.
Sharing His Story
In 2009, Hill met journalist Lisa McCubbin, and they collaborated on the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Mrs. Kennedy and Me (2012), which details Hill’s close relationship with Jacqueline Kennedy between 1960-1964 and recounts the harrowing events of the assassination of President Kennedy.
“I met Clint while I was writing another book with Gerald Blaine, a former Secret Service colleague of his. The book was The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence. Clint agreed to be interviewed by me for the book,” says McCubbin-Hill. “Over the course of six to nine months, we spoke frequently on the phone, and he opened up to me. He had vowed he would never write a book himself, but I convinced him his story was history and the story about his time with Mrs. Kennedy could be a tribute to her. Clint found writing about his experiences was cathartic and ultimately very healing for the PTSD he had been suffering with for nearly 50 years.”
Together, Hill and McCubbin wrote three more New York Times bestsellers: Five Days in November (2013), Five Presidents (2017), and My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy (2022). These books provide a personal view of pivotal moments in American history through the perspective of Hill and his experiences. Through the journey of writing together, Hill and McCubbin fell in love and were married in 2021.
In 2018, Hill received North Dakota’s highest honor as the 44th recipient of the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, bestowed upon North Dakotans who achieve national recognition and bring credit to their home state.
During the award ceremony on Nov. 19, 2018, at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center outside of Washburn, Hill spoke of how the award impacted him as well as his fondness for his home state.
“You have made a fellow North Dakotan a very proud and happy man,” Hill said when presented with the award. “I may have left North Dakota because of employment opportunities, but my heart and soul will always be here in Washburn, along the banks of the Missouri River in McLean County.”
On Feb. 21, 2025, Hill passed away at his home in Belvedere, California, at the age of 93. He is survived by McCubbin-Hill; two sons, Chris and Corey; and five grandchildren.
Making a Memorial
In May 2025, Schulz was asked to chair a committee to create the memorial honoring Hill. “It was an honor,” he notes. “This is not work. I am honored to lead this project.”
He is joined on the memorial committee by American Legion members Mike Kidd and Dean Bergstedt and American Legion Auxiliary members Barb Heist-Schulz and Berna Jo Kidd. Fundraising efforts for the nearly $150,000 memorial have been a joint effort between the American Legion Post and the Washburn community.
The granite memorial stands six feet high and five feet wide and weighs approximately 12,000 pounds. Schulz says the committee has worked with Bismarck Memorial to create and contract the memorial’s components from materials, engraving, plaques, and installation.
“With a history of more than 120 years of being rooted in the community and dedicated to preserving memories for future generations, Bismarck Memorial is known for thoughtful memorial design, exceptional craftsmanship and personal service. From family monuments to community memorials, the company takes pride in creating enduring works of granite art that reflect the heritage and tradition of North Dakota families and communities,” says Daniel Walstad, monument designer and manager of Bismarck Memorial. “It is because of our history and community roots that Bismarck Memorial is deeply honored to design, craft and install this granite monument preserving the legacy of Clint Hill, whose courage, service and character continue to inspire generations across North Dakota and the nation.”
On the memorial is a carved American flag which appears to drape the stone from top to bottom. On its front is a photo of Hill along with the insignia “Washburn’s Native Son.” A quote from Hill is engraved on the memorial stating, “I’ve never left North Dakota. North Dakota has a very special place in my heart…that will never go away.”
Also included on the front of the memorial are the American Legion and U.S. Secret Service emblems, along with an etched photograph captured on the day of the Kennedy assassination. The photograph, from film shot by citizen Abraham Zapruder, shows Hill jumping on the back of the presidential limousine as it sped down Elm Street in Dallas following the fatal shooting.
On the back of the memorial are brass plates denoting important pieces of Hill’s life, including his childhood in North Dakota and Washburn, his career in the U.S. Secret Service, his work as an author, and his advocacy for those suffering from PTSD.
Schulz says McCubbin-Hill played a key role in developing the content of the plaques featured on the monument. “All of the materials that will go on the plaques was written by her,” he notes. “It was a combination of committee suggestions and Lisa McCubbin-Hill to determine what was going to be included on the monument.”
The monument will be accompanied by two granite benches that will allow visitors to pause and reflect at the site.
“I was so touched when John Schulz contacted me about the memorial. I know Clint would feel so honored. He loved his childhood in Washburn and always felt that North Dakota was his home, even though he hadn’t lived there since he graduated high school,” says McCubbin-Hill. “I hope it will help keep his legacy and memory alive, and will serve to inspire children and young adults who grow up in Washburn.”
A Day of Dedication
On Aug. 1, the Clint Hill Memorial will be unveiled and dedicated during a ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. in Washburn’s Veterans Memorial Park. The ceremony will include the North Dakota Army National Guard’s 188th Army Band and speeches by city officials and McCubbin-Hill. Schulz notes the state’s governor and congressional delegation have also been invited to the dedication.
“We are reaching out to all of Clint Hill’s family, North Dakota relatives and his secret service co-workers with personal invitations to the event,” says Schulz. “We are expecting 300-400 people in attendance.”
Following the ceremony, dinner and entertainment by Theodore Roosevelt repriser Joe Weiand are being held for all attendees at the community’s Memorial Hall. “We have been working on this for months and I am really excited about this,” says Schulz.
Even after the memorial’s dedication, Schulz says he and the committee are hopeful it will continue to bring people to the community. “We have plans to develop a brochure on the Clint Hill Memorial. We hope the memorial shows his significance to North Dakota and how he felt about it.”
McCubbin-Hill says she hopes the memorial will inspire those who visit. “Clint was a remarkable man. He was the epitome of patriotism, duty, loyalty, and integrity,” she notes. “I hope this monument will inspire others to lead a life with those values.”