please welcome jerry parr. [applause] >> next to your right is dr. joseph giordano of surgery and former chairman of the department of surgery at george washington university medical center with special-interest and vascular disease he was the founder and the director of the trauma team at george washington medical center, the team that saved president reagan's life in 1981. and all fees on president 42 years at gw, before retiring in june of last year, he spent most of his time volunteering for partners for surgery which is a non-profit group dedicated to providing medical care guatemala. please tell me in welcoming dr. joseph giordano. [applause] >> and you have already heard a little about our author seated right here, del quentin wilber. just to share with you a little bit more, he is a reporter for "the washington post" and is the author of the book we are here tonight to talk about, "rawhide down vineyard assassination of ronald freakin'." joining the post, seven years ago, he reported for the "baltimore sun." for what his relatively brief care

. >> jerry parr on the way back to the white house are reagan initially thinks reagan's okay. he says on the radio "raw hide is o.k. " on the way back reagan starts looking not so great, ashen, complaining of pain in his chest. frothy blood on his lips. parr makes the decision that they're going to the hospital instead of the white house. that decision saved reagan's life. >> woodruff: how prepared was george washington hospital to handle a president who had been shot and how clear was it that he had been shot? >> well, it was very prepared. we had training for four years, since 196, 1980 setting up the trauma system at g.w. and everyone was well trained that the point in time. the president was treated like any patient. we were notified right before he got there that somebody was on the way and he came in through the main door, he collapsed he was brought back to the resuscitation area. the trauma team was there and they assessed him and treated him accordingly. >> woodruff: we know that there were humorous comments that the white house put out later that he said to mrs. reag

special agent jerry parr's training takes over. he shoves the president into the armored car. at first reagan, whose secret service handle is rawhide appears unharmed. >> rawhide is okay. follow-up. rawhide is okay. >> spots were fired at president reagan in washington as he left the hilton hotel. he was not injured. >> reporter: then everything changes. >> he started spitting up bright red, frothy blood. >> roger. we want to go to the emergency room of george washington. >> that's a roger. >> go to george washington fast. >> reporter: dr. joseph giordano was in charge of the e.r. >> when they brought him in the emergency room, he collapsed. there was no discernible blood pressure. we knew that he lost 40%, 50% of his blood volume. a couple of more minutes i think he would have crashed. i don't think he would have survived, to be honest. >> reporter: shelly fieldman was nbc's cameraman. >> there were people who were not press standing alongside of us, behind us. >> reporter: in fact the gunman, john hinckley, was right next to him. >> i saw him holding the gun with two hands a

. >> reporter: agent jerry parr, head of the presidential detail shoves ronald reagan into his armored. as it speeds off, parr first reports that the president-- code-named rawhide-- was not hit. then, a telltale bloody foam on the president's lips. agent parr knows that means a punctured lung. >> reporter: as the limo with no police escort rushes to george washington university hospital, the president's condition appears to deteriorate. agent parr remains dead calm. >> reporter: three and a half minutes after he was shot here, president reagan walked into the hospital. the president collapsed in the emergency room, far more seriously wounded than we knew then. bill plante, cbs news, washington. >> couric: arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords also survived an assassination attempt. today her doctors said she's recovering "by leaps and bounds." her breathing tube is out, she's walking and speaking better. she has been told she was shot, but she has no memory of it. a gunman killed six people in that january attack. giffords and 12 others were wounded. and coming up next, the latest

reporter: inside the limousine after the shooting, newly released secret service tapes show agent jerry parring code name for reagan radios good news, he seems to be unhurt. 46 seconds later with reagan coughing up a lot of blood in the backseat, parr switches course to the hospital. >> we're going to george washington fast. >> reporter: that decision saved reagan's life. the country held its breath and learned something about ronald reagan. because at the hospital, the stricken president, a bullet lodged an inch from his heart, in shock, with no discernible blood pressure, faced the moment with grace and humor. >> here he is on the operating room table, looked at me and says, "i hope you all are republicans" with a big smile on his face. >> reporter: that night after the three-hour surgery, nurse joanne bell remembers she had to gently tell the 70-year-old president to stop chatting away. >> i finally had to say to him, mr. president, in the most polite way that i can tell you, i want you to shut up and go to sleep. >> reporter: time passes and most of what a president does fades into the h

giordano, and jerry parr for the amazing book. i have been privileged to be part of the conversation. thank you all for comes to the newseum to be part of this conversation. good night. [applause] [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> in a home, we'll hear from president reagan's press secretary, jim brady, who was shot in the head by john hinkley. than a discussion with steve forbes on the economy spending. later a chairman testifying about the threat of a terrorist attack. >> earlier former white house press secretary jim brady met jay, the current white house press secretary to mark the assassination attempt on ronald reagan. this was about ten minutes. [silence] [silence] >> you got a lot of people here. do you want to say something? i want to say to myself it's an incredible honor to have jim brady here and sarah and his family. obviously as everyone knows, that's james s. brady, one the great predecessors that i look up to. >> did you say you can or cannot? >> i think it'll always be the best pres