Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan: Encyclopedia II - Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan - Capitol Hill events

Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan - Capitol Hill events

In Washington, D.C., members of Congress paid tribute to Reagan immediately after his death and continued through his funeral.

Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan - Funeral procession

Events in the capital began when Reagan's casket arrived at Andrews Air Force Base. It was removed from the plane, driven by hearse in a simple procession through the Maryland and Virginia suburbs and the nation's capital, and onto Constitution Avenue.

Right by the ellipse, and within sight of the White House, Reagan's body was transferred to the caisson, drawn by seven black geldings, for the procession to Capitol Hill.

People applauded as the cortege began the journey. Military units escorted the caisson as it made its way to the sounds of muffled drums. Behind the caisson came the riderless horse, named Sgt. York, with Reagan's boots reversed in the stirrups. The caisson paused at 4th and Constitution, where 21 Air Force F-15's flew over in missing man formation.

Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan - Capitol Hill events

On Capitol Hill, Reagan's casket was carried up the west front steps, mainly because Reagan was first inaugurated there and he wanted to face west, toward California. Additionally, construction work was being done on the east side.

Two teams of military body bearers carried the coffin up the steps of the Capitol, straining at the weight of the coffin and the steepness of the steps.

The casket was placed under the rotunda, where it lay in state on Abraham Lincoln's catafalque. Rev. Daniel Coughlin, the House of Representatives' chaplain, then gave the invocation. Eulogies were delivered by Senate President pro tempore Ted Stevens, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and Vice President Dick Cheney^[4]. Normally the service would have been presided over by the president, but Bush was hosting the G-8 Summit in Sea Island, Georgia.

After the eulogies, the eulogists laid a wreath, and the Senate chaplain, Rev. Barry Black, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, gave the benediction. The dignitaries, which included members of Congress, the United States Supreme Court, and members of the diplomatic corps and others, paid their respects during the next half hour.

Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan - Public viewing

After the dignitaries paid their respects, the doors of the Capitol were opened to the public, who stood in enormous lines for their turn to pay their respects. People passed by the casket at a rate of about 5,000 an hour. In all, about 106,000 paid their respects when Reagan lay in state.^[5]

After returning to Washington following the G-8 Summit, Bush and Laura Bush visited the rotunda to pay their respects. Many world leaders did the same, including Iraqi Acting President Ghazi al-Yawer, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and former Polish president Lech Wałęsa.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Capitol Hill events", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki