Jerry S. Parr (September 16, 1930 – October 9, 2015) was a United States Secret Service agent who is best known for defending President Ronald Reagan during the attempt on the president's life on March 30, 1981, in Washington, D.C. Parr pushed Reagan into the presidential limousine and made the critical decision to divert the presidential motorcade to George Washington University Hospital instead of returning to the White House.
He was honored for his actions that day with U.S. Congress commendations, and is widely credited with helping to save the president's life.
[3] From 1969 to 1978, he worked for the Foreign Dignitary Division as a mid-level supervisor on the Humphrey, Agnew and Ford details, and directed security for 56 foreign heads of state, including Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, Emperor Hirohito of Japan, King Juan Carlos of Spain and Pope John Paul II.
In 1979, Parr moved to the Presidential Protective Division, where he was Special Agent in Charge and Head of the White House Detail.
[13]:224 The final bullet ricocheted off the armored side of the limousine and hit the president in the left underarm, grazing a rib and lodging in his lung, causing it to partially collapse, and stopping less than an inch (25 mm) from his heart.
[7]: 164 After the Secret Service first announced "shots fired" over its radio network at 2:27 p.m., Reagan—codename "Rawhide"—was taken away by the agents in the limousine ("Stagecoach").
[36][7]: 66 At first, no one knew that he had been shot, and Parr stated that "Rawhide is OK...we're going to Crown" (the White House), as he preferred its medical facilities to an unsecured hospital.
[23] Although Reagan came close to death, the medical team's quick action—and Parr's decision to drive to the hospital instead of the White House—likely saved the president's life.
He served on the board of directors at Joseph's House, an organization for men with AIDS and co-founded Servant Leadership School.