Everything about Death And State Funeral Of Ronald Reagan totally explained
The 40th
President of the United States,
Ronald Wilson Reagan,
died on
June 5,
2004, after suffering from
Alzheimer's disease for nearly a decade. A six day
state funeral followed, spanning from
June 5th to
11th.
After Reagan's death his casket was taken from his
Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California home to the Gates, Kingsley and Gates Funeral Home in
Santa Monica, California. On June 7, it was transported by hearse and displayed at the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in
Simi Valley, California, then flown to
Washington, D.C. on June 9 for a service, public viewing and tributes at the
U.S. Capitol Building. After
lying in state for thirty-four hours in the
Capitol Rotunda, a
state funeral service was conducted at the
Washington National Cathedral on June 11, the day that President
George W. Bush declared a
national day of mourning. Later that day, after the service, Reagan's casket was transported back to California for interment at the Reagan Presidential Library.
The state funeral was executed by the
Military District of Washington (MDW) and was the first since that of
Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973, as the last president to die,
Richard Nixon, who presided over that funeral, didn't have a state funeral.
Death and tributes
On the morning of
June 5,
2004 there were reports indicating that former President Ronald Reagan's health had significantly deteriorated. Reagan, who had been suffering from
Alzheimer's disease for nearly a decade, died of
pneumonia at his home at 13:09
PDT (20:09
UTC, or 16:09
EDT). At his side were his wife
Nancy, and two of his children,
Ron and
Patti. His eldest surviving child,
Michael, was with his father the day before. A hearse arrived and the body was transported down Sunset Avenue in Los Angeles to the Gates, Kingsley and Gates Funeral Home in Santa Monica. Following his death, Nancy Reagan released a statement through the office of her husband, saying:
Paris when Reagan died and acknowledged the death in a
press conference. Some of the early included those of
Queen Elizabeth II, former British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister
Tony Blair, former Canadian Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney, Canadian Prime Minister
Paul Martin, and French President
Jacques Chirac.
Presidential declarations
American flags at the
White House, across the United States, and around the world over official U.S. installations, and operating locations, were ordered flown at
half-staff for 30 days in a presidential proclamation by
George W. Bush. President Bush said this on
June 5,
2004:
June 11 a
National Day of Mourning.
The Reagan Library
On
June 7, Reagan's body was removed from the funeral home and driven in a 20 miles per hour
Reagan's casket, a Marsellus Masterpiece model, was carried by a military honor guard representing all branches of the
United States Armed Forces into the lobby of the library to
lie in repose. There, a brief family service was conducted by the Rev. Dr. Michael H. Wenning, former pastor of
Bel Air Presbyterian Church, where Reagan worshiped. When the prayer service concluded, Nancy Reagan and her family walked up to the President's casket, where Mrs. Reagan gently laid her head on it.
Departure to Washington
On
June 9, Reagan's casket was removed from the presidential library and driven in a motorcade, by hearse, to
Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu in
Ventura, California; it was the same airfield Reagan flew into and out of during his presidency when visiting his
California ranch. SAM 28000, one of the two 747-200s, which usually serves the president as
Air Force One, arrived to transport the casket to Washington. Thousands of people gathered to witness the plane's departure. Just before she boarded the
VC-25A Presidential Aircraft, Nancy Reagan waved to the crowd with her military escort at her side. The plane took off at aboubt 9:40 AM
PST.
Events in Washington
In Washington, D.C., members of
Congress, and much of the public, paid tribute to Reagan immediately after his death and throughout his funeral.
Funeral procession
Events in the capital began when Reagan's casket arrived at
Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. It was removed from the plane, driven by hearse in a simple procession through the Maryland and Virginia suburbs and the nation's capital, across the Memorial Bridge, and onto
Constitution Avenue.
Near the
Ellipse, and within sight of the
White House, the hearse halted and Reagan's body was transferred to a horse-drawn
caisson for the procession down
Constitution Avenue to Capitol Hill. Nancy Reagan stepped out of her limousine to witness the body's transfer; she was met with a warm greeting, including much applause. The cortege began the 45 minute journey just after 6:00 PM
EST, with Mrs. Reagan and her children following in a limousine. The caisson paused at 4th street and Constitution Aveneue, where 21 Air Force
F-15s flew over in
missing man formation.
Capitol Hill events
The caisson stopped when it arrived at Capitol Hill; military units removed it, and
Hail to the Chief was played amidst a 21-gun salute. They followed it inside, and into the
rotunda.
The casket was placed under the rotunda, where it lay in state on
Abraham Lincoln's catafalque. the Reverend
Daniel Coughlin,
Chaplain of the House of Representatives, gave the invocation. Eulogies were then delivered by
Senate President pro tempore Ted Stevens,
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, and
Vice President Dick Cheney.
Public viewing
The general public stood in long lines waiting for a turn to pay their respects to the president. People passed by the casket at a rate of about 5,000 per hour (83 per minute) and the wait time was about three hours. In all, 104,684 paid their respects when Reagan lay in state.
After returning to Washington following the
G-8 Summit, President
George W. Bush and First Lady
Laura Bush visited the rotunda to pay their respects. Many world leaders did the same, including interim Iraqi President
Ghazi al-Yawer, former Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev, former
Polish president
Lech Wałęsa, and former British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher. After it was placed in a hearse, the motorcade departed on the five mile-trip to the
Washington National Cathedral, where the state funeral service was to be held; crowds lined the route of the cortege as the hearse made its way.
Foreign dignitaries attended as well, coming from 165 nations. The dignitaries included 36 past and present heads of state and government, and
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. Leading the dignitaries were
Mikhail Gorbachev,
Margaret Thatcher,
Brian and
Mila Mulroney, and
Prince Charles (representing
Queen Elizabeth II and the
United Kingdom). Other world leaders included
U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife
Cherie,
German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder,
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi,
Jordan's King Abdullah, as well as interim presidents
Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and
Ghazi al-Yawer of Iraq. The procession began and the casket was carried down the isle; the Reagan family followed and Mrs. Reagan was escorted to her seat by President Bush.
Rabbi Harold Kushner and
Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (the first female Supreme Court justice, whom Reagan appointed), each then gave a reading, which preceded the eulogies. — and then former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher delivered the first eulogy. In view of her failing mental faculties following several small strokes, the message had been pre-recorded several months earlier and was broadcast throughout the Cathedral via plasma television screens. During the speech, Thatcher said, "We have lost a great president, a great American and a great man, and I've lost a dear friend." Irish tenor
Dr. Ronan Tynan sang songs such as "
Ave Maria" and "
Amazing Grace" at the request of Nancy Reagan.The family and close friends, including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, boarded the
VC 25-A Presidential Aircraft back to California. Nancy Reagan waved farewell to the crowds just before she boarded the plane.
During the flight from Andrews Air Force Base to Naval Base Ventura County, the aircraft descended to a low altitude over
Ronald Reagan's birth place of
Tampico, Illinois, and during that time sent out flares in commemoration. In addition, the plane dipped its wing over
Dixon, Illinois, the boyhood home of the former President. About five hours after the plane left Andrews Air Force Base, it touched down for the last time at Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, California. The public was there to witness the plane's arrival, as well as sailors from the
USS Ronald Reagan. Reagan's body was driven in a large motorcade, by hearse, on one final trip though the streets of southern California. As they'd done throughout the week, crowds gathered along the motorcade route on its journey to Reagan's final resting place, his
presidential library in Simi Valley.
Burial service and interment
The service drew 700 people, mostly former Reagan Administration officials, including
George Shultz, but also
Hollywood actors and other celebrities, such as Reagan's first wife
Jane Wyman,
Kirk Douglas,
Charlton Heston,
Mickey Rooney,
Dolores Hope (widow of
Bob Hope),
Merv Griffin,
Tommy Lasorda,
Wayne Gretzky,
Scott Baio,
Bo Derek,
Tom Selleck,
Pat Sajak,
Wayne Newton, and the
Sinatra family. There were also dignitaries as well:
Margaret Thatcher, who travelled on the plane from Washington, sat next to
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife
Maria Shriver, and former California Governor
Pete Wilson, as well as former Los Angeles Mayor
Richard Riordan. The three surviving Reagan children,
Michael,
Patti, and
Ron, gave final eulogies at the interment ceremony.
Eulogies finished, and the service over, the Air Force Band of the Golden West played four "
ruffles and flourishes," and the U.S. Army Chorus sang the
The Star-Spangled Banner. Bagpiper
Eric Rigler played "Amazing Grace" as the casket was moved to its grave site. There, burial rites were given, followed by a last
21-gun salute. Then came the benediction, the firing of three volleys, and a bugler played
Taps. Four Navy
F/A-18 fighter jets flew over in
missing man formation, before the flag that flew over the Capitol during President Reagan's inauguration was folded and presented to Nancy Reagan by the commanding officer of the
USS Ronald Reagan. At that time, it was Navy Captain James Symonds.
After Nancy Reagan accepted the flag, she spent several minutes hugging and gently patting her husband's coffin. She laid her head down on the casket, before breaking down and crying for the first time in public. While she cried, she kissed the casket and mouthed "I love you" a few times. Her children quickly surrounded her, to add some comfort. Mrs. Reagan then took one last look at her husband's casket, and solemnly walked away, clutching the folded flag. The military band began to play, as
Michael Reagan bent down and kissed his father's casket, and
Patti and
Ron said their goodbyes. After the Reagan family had departed, funeral attendees filed past the coffin, which was directly in front of the grave inscription quoting Ronald Reagan: Many of the mourners rendered the hand salute to their former Commander-In-Chief. Upon her passing, Nancy Reagan will be interred beside her husband.
Music
Music played during the week-long events included four
ruffles and flourishes, "
Hail to the Chief," "
My Country 'Tis of Thee," "
The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "
Amazing Grace," "
Eternal Father, Strong to Save" (also known as "The Navy Hymn"), "God of Our Fathers," "
Mansions of the Lord," "
God Bless America," "
America the Beautiful," and
Going Home.
Security measures
The state funeral marked the first time that Washington hosted a major event since
September 11, 2001. It also marked the first time Washington hosted a major event amidst ongoing threats of a terrorist attack, as it was happening during a season of political events.
The
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designated the state funeral a
National Special Security Event (NSSE). However, DHS was handling another NSSE at the same time: the G-8 summit in Sea Island, Georgia.
Memorials
People marked Reagan's passing by leaving tributes and condolences at U.S. embassies and consulates overseas, as well as at locales around the country significant to Reagan's life, including his presidential library, his birthplace in
Tampico, Illinois, the funeral home where Reagan's body was taken after he died, and the
Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity house in
Eureka, Illinois.
Media comments on funeral coverage
Although the majority of media coverage of the event was deferential, Reagan's obituaries also included a few criticisms. Some criticized Reagan's funeral for the extensive media coverage it received and its careful orchestration. Richard Goldstein wrote in
The Village Voice: "Because the networks had so long to plan for this production, and because Nancy Reagan is a master dramaturge, this was the most precisely mounted news event in modern times. Each gesture was minutely choreographed, every tear strategically placed."
Others complained that the television coverage of the funeral was excessive and preempted coverage of other events.
CBS News anchor Dan Rather was quoted as saying: "Even though everybody is respectful and wants to pay homage to the president, life does go on. There is other news, like the reality of Iraq. It got very short shrift this weekend."
Additionally, media outlets were criticized for lionizing Reagan during his funeral without any attention to policy decisions made during his administration that were highly criticized and unpopular with his political opponents and many in the general public. Thomas Kunkel, dean of the
University of Maryland, College Park's journalism college, wrote in
American Journalism Review magazine that the coverage "would have you believe that Reagan was a cross between
Abe Lincoln and
Mother Teresa, with an overlay of
Mister Rogers."
Howard Kurtz,
The Washington Post's media columnist, said Reagan was "a far more controversial figure in his time than the largely gushing obits on television would suggest."
The Nation ran a series of articles about the many controversies of his presidency, such as the exploding federal debt, the growing gap between the rich and the poor, and the
Iran-Contra scandal.
During the week, the cable channel
C-SPAN broadcasted uninterrupted coverage of the funeral ceremonies.
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