The Bullet That Would Have Killed Ronald Reagan

1 year ago

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On Sunday, Feb. 6, Americans will celebrate Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday. His presidency changed the world, and I easily consider him the greatest president of my lifetime.

But had things gone differently, there would have been no "Challenger speech," and no call for Mr. Gorbachev to "tear down this wall." And so this 100th birthday might well have come and gone with little fanfare.

We were very close to such a fate -- closer than we realize. I'm talking, of course, about the assassination attempt on President Reagan early in his first term.

Most Americans don't know how close Reagan was to dying, and even fewer know of the historical accident (some would say Providence) that may very well have saved Reagan's life. The story was told well by Peggy Noonan in her excellent book, "When Character Was King."

As Noonan recounted,

[Reagan aide] Mike Deaver would become emotional in the weeks after the shooting, but he knew why, there was no mystery. When the shots rang out he had just put someone in harm's way. [Reagan press secretary] James Brady would never be the same, and it was his fault. . . .

"When we were walking out of the hotel and [AP reporter] Mike Putzel fired the question, I grabbed Brady and moved him. And I'd let the press person field the question, and I'd take his place with the president and we'd get in the car. I heard Putzel, I moved Brady. And Reagan was waving, and I went around the back of the car just as a shot crossed my right shoulder. A shot right across my shoulder. I ducked down and then immediately got in the car and looked back and it was a war zone."

Deaver struggled with the fact that he had put Brady in the line of fire.

Instead of pushing Brady toward the reporter, Deaver could have answered Putzel's question himself -- and that would have spared Brady from being shot. This greatly troubled Deaver -- until his wife suggested he talk to the neurosurgeon who operated on the press secretary.

The doctor listened, thought about it. When Deaver had told his story, the doctor asked, "How tall are you?"

Deaver was startled. "I told him, 'I'm five foot nine.' "

And the neurosurgeon said, "Jim Brady is six feet tall. And if he'd stayed there where he had been before you moved him Ronald Reagan would be dead. Because Brady took the bullet that would have killed Reagan."

If it had been Deaver standing where Brady was, the bullet would have gone over his head and hit the president.

Filed Under: Republicans, Conservatives, Matt Lewis and the News, Reagan Centennial

Tagged: jim brady, mike deaver, peggy noonan, ronald reagan

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