Washington pays its respects this week
Lying-in-state attire includes socks to symbolize ‘lifetime of service’
A 21-gun salute and a rendition of “Hail to the Chief ” greeted former President George H.W. Bush after the plane carrying his remains arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, just outside Washington.
A formation of Navy sailors and Air Force personnel stood at attention as the plane touched down at 3:22 EST. The sailors were from the USS George H.W. Bush, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. About 100 civilian dignitaries and well-wishers also were on hand.
Eight servicemen transported the casket to a hearse as members of the Bush family, including former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, observed solemnly. They joined a motorcade from the base to make the 45-minute drive to the U.S. Capitol, where ceremonies for the state funeral of the senior Bush – the country’s 41st president – continued.
George W. Bush, the 43rd president, is scheduled to eulogize his father at Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday, which has been designated as a national day of mourning.
While George H.W. Bush lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda, he will wear a pair of socks that “pay tribute to his lifetime of service,” family spokesman Jim McGrath said. Bush will lie in state until Wednesday.
Bush was long known for wearing colorful, often whimsical socks. Days before the Texas primary in March, he wore red, white and blue socks emblazoned with the word “VOTE.” He wore book-themed socks to his wife Barbara’s funeral in April to celebrate her commitment to literacy.
Monday, McGrath tweeted a photo of gray socks with several small jets flying in formation with tiny jet streams behind them. The former president flew more than 50 combat missions in World War II and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
“The 41st President will be carried to his final rest wearing socks that pay tribute to his lifetime of service, starting as an 18 year-old naval aviator in war,” McGrath tweeted. “That legacy is now being carried, in part, by the brave, selfless men and women” aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.
President Donald Trump said he will attend the funeral service Wednesday at Washington National Ca- thedral. “Looking forward to being with the Bush Family to pay my respects to President George H.W. Bush,” Trump tweeted Monday. In addition to the younger Bush, former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter will attend.
Burial is set for Thursday at the site of Bush’s presidential library on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, 100 miles northwest of Houston. Bush is to be laid to rest beside Barbara, his wife of 73 years, and daughter Robin, who was 3 years old when she died of leukemia in 1953.
Bush died Friday in his Houston home at age 94. His battle with vascular Parkinsonism had robbed him of his ability to walk. He had used a wheelchair since 2012. The condition made it increasingly difficult for him to speak more than a few words at a time.
Vascular Parkinsonism is a rare condition that’s generally believed to be caused by small strokes that damage the same brain structures affected in Parkinson’s Disease. People with vascular Parkinsonism often experience a “lower body Parkinsonism” and have trouble walking and maintaining balance, the Parkinson’s Foundation says on its website.