How Reagan’s assassination attempt affected him

(NewsNation) – Former President Ronald Reagan was hailed as a hero after surviving a brutal assassination attempt in 1981, and the attack ultimately strengthened his resolve to fight communism and end nuclear proliferation.

The attempt happened as Reagan was leaving the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., where he was speaking with 5,000 members of the AFL-CIO, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

John Hinckley Jr. fired several shots at the former president with his .22 caliber revolver using “devastating” bullets.

It was his 69th day in office during his first term.

This Saturday, NewsNation will air the 90-minute documentary “Reagan: Portrait of a Presidency” about the life and legacy of President Ronald Reagan, narrated by actor Dean Cain. The documentary will air from 9:00 pm to 10:30 pm ET (8:00 pm to 9:30 pm CT), followed by “Reagan: The Post Show” with NewsNation senior political contributor George Will and top Washington anchor Leland Vittert from from 10:30 am. -11pm ET (9:30am-10am CT). To find NewsNation on your screen, go to JoinNNN.com.

Reagan was injured when one of the bullets ricocheted off the limousine, hitting him under the left armpit. He was then taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he spent twelve days.

Former press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and police officer Thomas Delahanty were also injured during the shooting.

As he entered surgery, he told his wife, Nancy, “Honey, I forgot to bend over,” and to the surgeons, “Please tell me you’re a Republican,” according to The History Channel.

Upon returning, the former president was received as a hero by Congress. His controversial economic program later passed Congress, with several Democrats breaking ranks to support Reagan’s plan, the news outlet reported.

Reagan was convinced that his life had been spared so that he could pursue peace by ending the communist threat and nuclear proliferation during the Cold War. He was even more determined to change relations between the US and the Soviet Union.

“Perhaps coming so close to death made me feel that I should do everything I could in the years God gave me to reduce the threat of nuclear war,” he wrote in his autobiography, “An American life.”

Shortly after leaving the hospital, he wrote a letter to then-Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev expressing his desire for “a meaningful and constructive dialogue that will help us fulfill our joint obligation to find lasting peace.”

He later played a major role in ending the Cold War, working with Brezhnev’s successor, Mikhail Gorbachev.

Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of mental illness and was admitted to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Washington, D.C. in 1982.

The assassination attempt appeared in several of Reagan’s negotiations. When he gave a speech in West Berlin in 1987, a balloon burst very loudly near him, to which he responded, “I missed you,” referring to the sound as a gunshot.

Although Reagan reaffirmed his resolve and won a second term, he continued to struggle with the lingering painful effects of the assassination attempt in private.

After the president nearly died, the first lady became obsessed with taking precautions to ensure her husband’s safety, reported People.

“Americans love a hero; Ronald Reagan survived an assassin’s bullet. However, this cannot eliminate the fact that Ronald Reagan was already on a trajectory of real change with the support of the people,” said Duke Blackwood, director of the Reagan Presidential Library, according to CNN.

“The assassination attempt perhaps gave him a temporary boost. Make no mistake, however, it was his leadership and vision that made it all happen, not the result of what one deranged man tried in vain. Ronald Reagan was destined to lead our country and he did.”