20 Years in the Secret Service

When shots rang out in Dallas, Texas, during the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Secret Service Agent Rufus W. Youngblood immediately lunged over his seat in the vice president’s car and bravely used his body to shield Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. Faced with the unknown, Youngblood maintained this protective position as their car sped toward Parkland Hospital, following the presidential limousine. Throughout the course of that fateful day, Youngblood vigilantly remained by LBJ’s side to ensure his safety. This candid memoir includes Youngblood’s first-hand account of the Kennedy assassination and its aftermath. While highlighting his twenty-year career in the Secret Service during which he protected Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, Youngblood describes the complexities, risks, and constant tensions involved in protecting America’s chief executive. Along with several humorous anecdotes, archival audio inserts enhance this personalized journey through a critical period in American History.

Rufus Wayne Youngblood is best known as the U.S. Secret Service agent who shielded Vice President Johnson during the tragic Kennedy assassination. Born in Macon, Georgia, in 1924, he was raised in Atlanta and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack. During World War II, he flew in some of the Eighth Air Force’s earliest combat missions. After graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology with an industrial engineering degree, he joined the Secret Service in 1951 and protected Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon during his 20-year tenure. He retired in 1971 as the agency’s deputy director. He penned his memoir, "20 Years in the Secret Service: My Life with Five Presidents," before returning to Georgia, where he resided with Peggy, his wife of 53 years, and his family until his death in 1996. You can learn more about Rufus and his life at www.rufusyoungblood.com

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