The state funeral of late former President George H. W. Bush will commence on Dec. 3 and span four days with 11 ceremonies and 3 services in 2 states and DC.
The state funeral of late former President George H. W. Bush will commence on Dec. 3 and span four days with 11 ceremonies and three services in two states and the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense announced on Dec. 1, a day after Bush’s passing at age 94.
“We, the men and women of the Department of Defense, are honored and proud to support the Bush family and will do so with the utmost respect,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Howard in a Dec. 1 release. Howard heads the Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region, the nearly 4,000-strong military task force that is overseeing the funeral.
President Donald Trump announced he’ll send a presidential Air Force One jetliner to take Bush’s remains from Houston to Washington on Dec. 3. A departure ceremony will be held at the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base near Houston at 10:30 a.m. local time.
The plane will land at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, where an arrival ceremony will be held at 3:30 p.m. local time. The remains will then be moved to the U. S. Capitol, where an arrival ceremony is scheduled to start at 4:45 p.m. with members of the House and Senate in attendance followed by a short service.
Bush’s remains will then lie in state in the Rotunda of the U. S. Capitol at 7:30 p.m. until Dec. 5, at 8:45 a.m. with a guard of honor in attendance. Details of public access are yet to be announced.
