Funeral of the George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States
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Update : Former President George H.W. Bush has left Washington for the last time. Bush’s flag-draped casket was carried in a motorcade to Joint Base Andrews outside the capital city following his state funeral at Washington National Cathedral.
An aircraft that often serves as Air Force One and designated “Special Air Mission 41” is flying the casket to Houston. Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush waved from the top of the stairway before boarding the plane, followed by other family members.
In Houston, Bush’s body will be transported by motorcade to St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. A public viewing of Bush’s casket will be held at the church until early Thursday, followed by a private funeral. Burial will take place at the presidential library in College Station, Texas.
Earlier:
The nation’s capital is bidding its final farewell to former President George H.W. Bush on Wednesday in a service of prayer and praise that has drawn together world envoys, Americans of high office and many others who were touched by Bush’s life in office and afterward.
The life and public service of the nation’s 41st president were celebrated with praise and humour at Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday as three former presidents looked on and a fourth — George W. Bush — prepared to eulogize his dad, the last president to fight in World War II.
George W Bush, the former US president, said his father, George Herbert Walker Bush, was a “great and noble man” as he delivered a eulogy for the 41st president, who died on Friday at the age of 94.
“When the history books are written, they will say that George Herbert Walker Bush was a great president of the United States, a diplomat of unmatched skill, and a commander-in-chief of formidable accomplishments,” Mr Bush said at the state funeral service, which was held at the National Cathedral in Washington.
The congregation, populated with foreign leaders and diplomats, Americans of high office, and others touched by Bush’s life, rose for the arrival of the casket, accompanied by clergy of faiths from around the world. In their row together, President Donald Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton stood with their spouses and all placed their hands over their hearts.
Wednesday’s ceremonies capped three days of remembrance in the nation’s capital by dignitaries and ordinary citizens as they honored the Republican president who oversaw the post-Cold War world transition and led a successful Gulf War, only to lose re-election in a generational shift to Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992.
The four living ex-presidents all came — among them, George W. Bush who will eulogize his father — and President Donald Trump will attend but is not scheduled to speak. Also attending: one king (Jordan), one queen (Jordan), two princes (Britain, Bahrain), Germany’s chancellor and Poland’s president, among representatives of more than a dozen countries.
Trump tweeted Wednesday that he was “looking forward to being with the Bush family,” calling the day “a celebration for a great man who has led a long and distinguished life.” Trump and his wife took their seats after the others, briefly greeting the Obamas seated next to them.
