Arizonans line up to pay last respects to McCain during viewing at Capitol
PHOENIX — Arizonans began to say farewell here Wednesday to Sen. John McCain, the towering political figure in this part of the West who died over the weekend at 81, with his constituents and family honoring him as he lies in state at the Arizona State Capitol.
Paying tribute to McCain, a naval aviator who endured torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, Arizona veterans and law enforcement officials lined both sides of the Capitol Plaza as a black hearse carrying his coffin, which was draped with a flag, made its way through downtown Phoenix.
Uniformed members of the Arizona National Guard then carried the coffin into the Capitol rotunda.
“It’s our job to show our respect,” said Robbie Campbell, 59, a statewide captain of the Patriot Guard Riders, an organization comprised largely of motorcyclists that attends the funerals of members of the U.S. military and first responders. “We don’t want anybody that serves to protect our freedoms to not know that the whole nation cares.”
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey embraced McCain’s wife, Cindy McCain, as she arrived for a short private ceremony on the morning of what would have been her husband’s 82nd birthday.
A small group of political figures delivered brief remarks honoring and remembering McCain. His family listened quietly, then lined up afterward to pass by the coffin and bid an initial farewell. At one point, McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, broke into tears as she approached his coffin to touch it. Her wailing echoed throughout the rotunda.
John Kyl, a former Republican senator, said that although some people disagreed with McCain’s political positions, “that should not diminish our gratitude for his service.”
Members of the public lined up outside the Capitol for what was to be a general viewing throughout the afternoon.
On Thursday, the senator’s body will be carried from the Capitol in a motorcade that will deliver him to the North Phoenix Baptist Church, where a memorial service will be held.
From the church, McCain’s remains will be flown to Washington for another viewing on Friday at the U.S. Capitol. After a memorial service at the National Cathedral, McCain will be buried at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Md.