Jerry Parr, American Hero

Jerry Parr, September 16, 1930- October 9, 2015, was the Secret Service agent in charge of Ronald Reagan's security who's quick actions are credited with saving the president's life following the assassination attempt in 1981.

Jerry was a veteran of the United States Air Force before becoming a Secret Service agent.

There is a website that has lots of information about Jerry. It is the website for his book In The Secret Service.

There is also a well written article concerning his passing, written by Del Quentin Wilbur, author of Rawhide Down, a very detailed examination of the events that day. That article can be found here.

We should all be thankful for men like Jerry Parr and those who served alongside him, like Agent Tim McCarthy, who literally stepped in front of the president and took a bullet that day. These are not average people. They are very special people who do a job that often gets overlooked except in the instances of tragedy and chaos.

Jerry posted his last message on Twitter, just 3 months before he died. It said, simply, but profoundly, "Love is enough". It also featured this photo of Jerry and his wife, Carolyn:

Thank you Jerry Parr, for a life well lived, before, during and after your work in the Secret Service.

Parr to the right of Reagan