The Latest on events related to late former President George H. W. Bush (all times local):
WASHINGTON — The Latest on events related to late former President George H. W. Bush (all times local):
3:25 p.m.
A military aircraft carrying the remains of former President George H. W. Bush has arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, D. C., as the nation’s capital prepares to honor the 41st president.
A formation of Navy sailors and Air Force personnel stood at attention as the plane touched down. The sailors assembled were from the USS George H. W. Bush, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. A group of about 100 civilian dignitaries and well-wishers also were on hand.
Bush will lie in state in the U. S. Capitol rotunda for a ceremony and public visitation from Monday through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service will follow at Washington National Cathedral before his casket returns to Houston for burial.
President Donald Trump, who will attend the funeral service in Washington, has ordered the federal government closed Wednesday for a national day of mourning.
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12:10 p.m.
A military aircraft carrying the remains of former President George H. W. Bush has taken off and is flying from Houston to Washington for official mourning ceremonies, including a state funeral.
Pallbearers carried Bush’s casket from a hearse across the tarmac to a presidential plane commonly known as Air Force One. For the task of transporting Bush’s body on Monday, the plane has been renamed Special Air Mission 41, the number being a reference to Bush’s place in the roster of America’s presidents.
A military band played “Hail to the Chief.” An American flag and one with the presidential seal flew nearby.
Bush’s son former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, were among those relatives and Bush friends who walked to the aircraft shortly after the body was loaded aboard.
George H. W. Bush died Friday in Houston at age 94.
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11:45 a.m.
George H. W. Bush’s remains have made the journey from a Houston funeral home to Ellington Field, where a presidential aircraft will carry them to Washington for a state funeral.
Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, one of George H. W. Bush’s grandsons, was among more than 100 invited guests seeing off Bush’s remains on Monday. The guests are set to witness a ceremony including a military band and a 21-gun salute.
