Sorry, I'm now a tearful mess.
Regards, Ivan
In memoriam
Posted on 06/11/2004 1:58:54 AM PDT by MadIvan
WASHINGTON -- From President Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, to US Army Lieutenant Larry Blevins, who wanted to leave his Bronze Star from the Iraq war beside the casket, Ronald Reagan was commemorated in death yesterday by thousands who filed through the soaring rotunda of the Capitol.
The nation's 40th president, who will be buried tonight in California after a dignitary-laden funeral this morning in the National Cathedral, continued to be the focus of an outpouring of grief, as tourists scrapped museum visits for an opportunity to view his casket, and others drove to Washington to pay their respects.
Bush and his wife, Laura, also made their first visit to Reagan's casket, heading for the Capitol after the Group of Eight economic summit concluded in Georgia. Among those honoring Reagan were members of his Secret Service detail, who made a solemn visit to pay tribute to the man who entrusted his life to them.
Blevins filed by the casket at midafternoon and asked to leave behind a blue leather box bearing his Bronze Star, ribbons for serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war on terror, a combat medical badge, and a badge signifying his unit, the 377th Field Artillery Regiment, stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C.
The 33-year-old, who returned from 11 months of service in Iraq in February, drove eight hours and then stood in line for three hours before entering the quiet sanctuary afforded by the 185-foot expanse under the Capitol dome.
''This is the greatest thing I ever did, so I just felt obligated to give it away as a symbol of what living here means to me," Blevins said as he cradled his medals. A Capitol Police officer asked him to take the memento outside so that it could be catalogued by the National Park Service for possible inclusion in the collection at the Reagan Presidential Library in California.
''Once you go to a country like Iraq, living in the Third World where somebody makes decisions for you, you just realize how great the freedom is in our country," Blevins said. He said he was drawn to Reagan because the 93-year-old was the same age as his grandfather, was the first president he remembered as a child, and was serving as president in 1987 when his father died.
''He stood, for me, for what America was," the Army medic said.
Bush and his wife paused by Reagan's casket, bowed their heads, and closed their eyes. The president swept his hands along the flag-draped casket and the couple left to visit Nancy Reagan.
At Blair House, Nancy Reagan received visitors who had shared the world stage with her late husband.
''To Ronnie," former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher wrote in the Blair House condolence book. ''Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
Former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, who shared an Irish ancestry with Reagan, also visited the former first lady, with his wife, Mila. ''For Ron with affection, admiration, and respect," the Mulroneys wrote in the Blair House book. ''The Gipper always came through!"
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Sorry, I'm now a tearful mess.
Regards, Ivan
In memoriam
Ping!
Oh wow ... the tears are starting again .. He touched so many lives
Thank you for posting this MadIvan
Me too. The Bronze Star got me.
ABC, of all networks, just ran a wonderful piece. I know, I know, but I gotta give credit where credit is due. They had Ray Charles singing America the Beautiful a few years back in a concert for the Reagans. Through out, they were lacing it with scenes of the funeral this week. Thatcher, Gorbachev, etal paying their respects, the 21 F-15 Salute, it was all there. It ended with a touching photo of Ron & Nancy with Ray Charles.
Very moving. It was worthy of a few goose bumps...
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