I was fine until I saw the Captain of the USS Ronald Reagan hand Nancy that flag, knowing that as he did so he said those traditional words; "Mrs Reagan, please accept this, your country's flag, with the heartfelt thanks of a grateful nation." Similar words were said to my mother by the captain of the honor guard attending my fathers funeral at Riverside National Cemetary in 2000, but in Reagan's case the phrase has so much more meaning!
I started crying again just reading your post on the traditional saying.
What the heck. I've been crying all week. I can't stop. I loved that man, Ronald Wilson Reagan.