A truly honorable man. Handling himself in death with class just like he did in life. Didn't agree with everything he did but he was a decent man.

I'm so glad to see President Bush's death is being handled with class unlike McCain's week of disgrace.

I was just listening to Fox and they shared a little tidbit that I thought was interesting.

The Secret Service had developed a code word to describe the day when President Bush would pass. That code word was "CAVU"

In a nod to his military flying career it stood for "Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited". Very fitting.

He will be buried at my Alma Mater, Texas A&M in College Station....RIP

quote:

Originally posted by coloradohunter44:
I respect his service in WWII. I don't think he did much for the nation as a president. My condolences to the family.

You must be a youngster. You don't remember the winning of the Gulf War against a 1 million man military force? It was won in a matter of days.

The winning of the Cold War?

I'd say he had an impact.

I've had Fox on in background for the past hour or so, watching AF1 deliver the casket, and now the procession into the Capitol.

Fitting honors for the man.

An aside - nice job all you young sailors, airmen, Marines, and soldiers that make the ceremonies what they are. Thankless work, no recognition, but doing it right as proud professionals.

Love stories like this, his secret service code name Timberwolf.

Why the Secret Service loved former President George H.W. Bush

Secret Service agents tell how George H. W. Bush would raid the kitchen with them at 3 a.m. for milk and cookies and stay in DC Christmas Eve so they could spend it with their families

WASHINGTON — Just before midnight on Friday evening, I received the news from a current US Secret Service agent. His message said, “We lost Timberwolf — a part of us is gone.”

Reading these nine words, I was heavy with sorrow — for both the Bush family and for the agency. In addition to losing a father, statesman and public servant, we lost a man who had become the shining example of integrity and kindness during the 38 years we had the honor of protecting him.

George H.W. Bush, whose protective call sign was “Timberwolf,” was arguably the agency’s most beloved protectee.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ronin1069,

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
Flag to half staff for 30 days. Is that SOP for a passing former President?

I think so. There were 30 days for Gerald Ford, as I recall.

President Trump, first lady visit George H.W. Bush's casket at US Capitol after emotional ceremony.

Hours after the body of former President George H.W. Bush arrived at the U.S. Capitol on Monday, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump paid their respects to the 41st president of the United States.

Trump visited the late president’s flag-draped casket in the building’s rotunda, where Bush will lie in state until Wednesday morning before being transported to the National Cathedral for a private state funeral, which Trump is scheduled to attend.

The pair stood in front of the casket with their eyes closed for a few moments on Monday night. The 45th president saluted the casket, before he and the first lady left the rotunda.

Trump didn't attend an earlier ceremony that was held to honor Bush at the Capitol. Vice President Mike Pence and other top lawmakers spoke and reflected on Bush’s military record and service. Bush, Pence said, “never failed to answer the call to serve his country.”

The current vice president remembered when the elder Bush sent his son — who recently became a Naval aviator, just like Bush once was — a hand-written letter in August, shortly after Pence was told Bush had stopped his practice of signing autographs.

"But little to my surprise, just in time for my son's winging, there not only came a signed photograph but, of course, a letter," Pence said. Bush was often known for sending handwritten letters to loved ones, friends and politicians, among others.

Pence said that within the letter, Bush told his son, "Though we have not met, I share the pride your father has for you during this momentous occasion, and I wish you many CAVU days ahead. All the best, G. Bush."

CAVU is an acronym Navy pilots have used, meaning "ceiling and visibility unlimited." Bush, according to Military.com, used the term on his 80th birthday.

"In the Navy, we young pilots all prayed for CAVU — Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited. But, you see, that is where my life is now," Bush said. "Thanks to my family and my friends, my life is CAVU."

In addition to serving as president, Bush also served as a vice president for two terms under President Ronald Reagan. Pence said Bush joked that there was "nothing substantive to do at all" going into that job, but that he was "a sound counselor and loyal adviser to an outsider who came to Washington, D.C., to shake things up, cut taxes, rebuild the military, and together they did just that."

Bush's casket, along with members of the Bush family, arrived on Capitol Hill just before 5 p.m. ET as part of the nation's formal farewell. A military honor guard marched Bush's casket into the rotunda.

Former presidents or prominent politicians customarily lie in state. Gerald Ford, who died at the end of 2006, was the last president to do so in late 2006 through early 2007.

Once Bush lies in state, his casket will be transported by motorcade on Wednesday morning to the National Cathedral, where an invitation-only state funeral will be held. President Donald Trump, who ordered federal offices closed on Wednesday for a national day of mourning, is scheduled to attend with first lady Melania Trump.

Bush's body will then return to Houston, where a public viewing of his casket will be held before a private funeral service on Thursday. He will be buried in a family plot at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station.

Earlier Monday, Bush, his family, and the late president's former service dog, Sully, arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C., around 3:30 p.m. ET. The casket was flown in from Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, a Texas Air National Guard base, aboard an aircraft that often serves as Air Force One.

Upon their arrival, the former first family was greeted with ceremonial music and a 21-gun salute before Bush's casket was placed inside of a hearse.

https://www.foxnews.com/politi...headed-to-us-capitol

quote:

Originally posted by David Lee:
Being carried onto AF 1 is quite moving and dignified. I do not understand the straight truck ? OK, I see it lift the President up to AF 1.

Not AF 1 without the current President on it.

quote:

Originally posted by charlie12:
Not AF 1 without the current President on it.

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he’s sending Air Force One to bring the late President George H.W. Bush’s casket to Washington, according to a pool report.

“Air Force One will be taking myself and a group of our people back to Washington. It will then be reset and it will be sent to Houston to pick up the casket of President Bush and it will be sent back to Washington,” Trump said from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he is attending the G-20 summit.

Trump added it was “a special tribute that he deserves very much.”

quote:

Originally posted by nra-life-member:

quote:

Originally posted by charlie12:
Not AF 1 without the current President on it.

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he’s sending Air Force One to bring the late President George H.W. Bush’s casket to Washington, according to a pool report.

“Air Force One will be taking myself and a group of our people back to Washington. It will then be reset and it will be sent to Houston to pick up the casket of President Bush and it will be sent back to Washington,” Trump said from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he is attending the G-20 summit.

Trump added it was “a special tribute that he deserves very much.”

Air Force 1 is the call sign of a AF plane when the current President is on it. Otherwise it's just a AF plane. Doesn't matter what President Trumps calls it.

I believe it was re designated as SAM( special air mission) 41 for the flight.

RIP Mr. President..

RIP Mr President George H.W. Bush. Thanks for your Honorable service to The United States Of America!

quote:

Originally posted by LBTRS:
A truly honorable man. Handling himself in death with class just like he did in life. Didn't agree with everything he did but he was a decent man.

I'm so glad to see President Bush's death is being handled with class unlike McCain's week of disgrace.

GROWN UPS: Bush Family Wants No Anti-Trump Sentiment At Funeral, No Replay Of McCain Service

The memorial service for Sen. John McCain at the Washington National Cathedral was a disgusting display of partisan politics, with the Arizona senator's daughter deriding President Trump as a coward not worthy of shining her father's shoes.

Before that, the funeral of Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone turned into a partisan debacle, with Democrats turning the service into a anti-Republican hate-fest.

But that won't happen at the memorial service for George H.W. Bush, scheduled for Wednesday. The family has already laid the groundwork to make sure the service does not become political, The Washington Post reported.

And unlike McCain's service, the Bushes have made clear they want the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to attend.

The Bush family contacted the White House this past summer to say that President Trump would be welcome at the funeral, scheduled Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral, and to assure him that the focus would be on Bush’s life rather than their disagreements, one former administration official said.

The truce with Trump allows the Bush family, and the nation, to honor the legacy of a president who guided the United States through the 1991 Persian Gulf War and the breakup of the Soviet Union without becoming mired in today’s toxic politics. Trump in turn has been effusive in his praise of Bush since his death Friday, and paid respects Monday night at the U.S. Capitol, where the 41st president is lying in state.

Meanwhile, a former Bush associate told Politico that the service "will be about the celebration of the noble public service that George H.W. Bush gave. It’s not going to be about anybody else. I don’t think it’s going to be about Trump."

“If anybody at anytime knew anything about the 41st president of the United States, they would completely and totally understand that he would welcome the current occupant 100 percent,” said an aide in the office of the former president. “This is the way the country says goodbye to presidents.”

Trump has already sought to defuse any tension, sending the presidential plane to Houston to bring Bush's body to Washington, D.C., where the 41st president will lie in state at the Capitol until the Wednesday service. The White House has also made Blair House, the official guesthouse across the street from the White House, available for the Bush family to use during their time in the city.

Meanwhile, first lady Melania Trump, who represented the White House at former first lady Barbara Bush’s funeral in April, invited George W. Bush's wife Laura to the White House on Tuesday.

For his part, Trump said "President George H.W. Bush led a long, successful and beautiful life. Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family. His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all!"

https://www.dailywire.com/news...ti-trump-joseph-curl

The last segment of Rush’s show is a perfect illustration of the reason I continue to listen to his program. Rush gave a passionate portrayal of Sen. Bob Dole’s visit to the Rotunda to pay his respects to President GHW Bush.

Rush knew both men and said that they were bitter rivals for leadership of the Republican Party He quickly added, very little of the acrimony was personal, it was political. He believes that Sen. Dole resented Bush for receiving many of the rewards of political power that he sought as well.

Rush layed out the scene in the Rotunda as Sen. Dole was pushed up as close to the casket as possible. There Dole “insisted” on standing to pay his respects. Apparently, Sen. Dole has no feeling in his legs and simply cannot stand up at all. He asked his aide to pull him up to his feet, and he did so, supporting Dole’s body weight. He wavered there briefly, then was set back down in his wheelchair.

Rush said that he expects that cable news video of Sen. Dole will be shown today. He wanted his audience to understand the rivalry of these two men, but the deep, touching respect that Dole showed in insisting that he be helped out of his wheelchair.

Video of Bob Dole's salute to his friend and fellow WWII veteran:

Very moving

Seeing Bob Dole so old and infirmed and honoring another old man reminds me of that line by Yeats in Sailing to Byzantium-

Consume my heart away; sick with desire And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me Into the artifice of eternity.

"fastened to a dying animal". The utter indifference of nature, which turns statesmen and philosophers into handfuls of dust.

Dole's act of respect reminded me of that of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston.

Johnston was the commander of the forces defeated by Sherman at the battle of Atlanta, and later surrendered the Confederate forces in the Carolinas to Sherman at war's end. They later became friends, and Johnston served as an honorary pall bearer at Sherman's funeral on a cold, rainy day in New York. Johnston's friends urged him to put on his hat, to keep warm and protect himself from the weather. Johnston replied "If I were in his place and he were standing here in mine, he would not put on his hat."

Johnston caught a cold there, and died three weeks later of pneumonia.

Saluting a soldier, patriot, and leader.

I had a thought, would Sig Forum correct me if I am wrong . Bush 41 will most likely be the last President we will have to have served in WWII or Korea.