Posted on 06/12/2004 5:36:41 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Former Army specialist once stationed at Berlin Wall went to Washington to say goodbye
By Ilene Olson rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE - As a young specialist in the U.S. Army during the 1980s, Clyde Hutchins Jr. had a personal understanding of what the Berlin Wall meant to the people it blocked from freedom.
"I did border patrols on the East German border," he said. "On occasion, we would help people who would try to escape. We saw firsthand how important freedom was to people."
As a child growing up in the Cold War era, Hutchins knew the fear of nuclear war as well. That fear intensified during his time in the Army.
"Always, when I was on the East German border, we all knew that a war could start at any time, and if it started, it would be nuclear. We would all die. We knew that. Then President Reagan took the wall down. There's great hope for the future."
Because of his experiences, Hutchins felt a personal need to say goodbye to the man who changed his outlook on the world. With that in mind, he flew to Washington, D.C., at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday to join the throngs of people waiting to pay their respects to the former president.
By 2:30 Eastern time, Hutchins had found a place on Constitution Avenue, becoming one of the first people in line to see the procession scheduled to come by that spot four hours later.
Those four hours gave him time to visit with other people on similar sojourns. Despite the hot, humid weather, people were in positive, upbeat moods, he said.
"It just felt good to be among other people, all with the purpose of showing respect and appreciation and what they thought about Reagan," he said.
The procession's arrival was heralded by 14 military policemen in a "V" formation on motorcycles, followed by bands from all branches of the military playing somber songs. Everything else was silent despite rows upon rows of people lined up for the event.
Hutchins said he especially was impressed by the color guard.
"They were head and shoulders above the rest," he said. "They looked super sharp. Even on my best days in the military, I didn't look half as sharp as these guys."
Just as it was in front of Hutchins, the procession stopped while 21 F-15 fighter jets flew overhead in different formations, including one signifying a missing man.
"I was pretty impressed," Hutchins said. "You just got kind of a shiver down your spine. Some people were just watching; some people were crying."
As the procession continued, Hutchins saw the six handsome horses pulling the cart with Reagan's casket, followed by a beautiful riderless horse. The limousine in which Nancy Reagan rode came afterward.
"She was on my side of the street, and she was waving at us," Hutchins said.
After the procession passed, the crowd scrambled to position itself in line again, this time for a chance to view Reagan's casket in the Capitol rotunda.
"I was already several thousand people back," Hutchins said. "We could see the top of the steps to the Capitol. We watched as the soldiers carried the casket up. When they were finally all the way to the top, everybody clapped. They did it in fine procession. We all knew how tough that was."
Despite the hours-long wait in line, people again were courteous, sharing stories and experiences while they waited.
But once they stepped into the Capitol, everyone stopped talking, and the room was silent. Nothing could be heard but the soft footsteps of the people passing by the casket.
"The reality of it - just knowing that Reagan's body was lying in there just hit me," Hutchins said.
Afterward, he went directly back to the airport, where he waited through the rest of the night before taking a 10:20 flight back to Denver on Thursday morning.
He flew in to Denver at 1:45 p.m., tired but thrilled by his experience.
He and another Cold War soldier planned to watch the burial in California on television together Friday evening.
"He's a little older than me," Hutchins said. "He remembers the day Reagan took office. It went from a demoralized military to a proud military."
Unlike Hutchins, most Cheyenne residents were not able to go to Washington, D.C., to remember Reagan. But many followed the events through newspaper, television and radio coverage of this week's events.
Mike Lepore spent his morning golfing on Friday but planned to watch the burial in the evening.
"I've read a little bit, and I watched the processional," he said. "The pomp and circumstance is kind of fun to watch. (Reagan) deserves that. Anybody that gets to be president should be accorded that. It's a tough job.
"It's sad to see him go, but it's probably a blessing for his wife," Lepore added. "I wouldn't wish (Alzheimer's disease) on anybody."
Lepore's golfing partner, Kyle Linton, said he remembers things about Reagan from when he was growing up in the 1980s.
"I think the biggest thing you hear about is the self-confidence he brought back for the country."
Linton said he watched some of the coverage about Reagan on Friday morning and planned to watch more in the evening.
"It's something that hasn't happened in a long time," he said. "Hopefully people will use this time to watch and learn."
Julie Jordan said Reagan's legacy was "bringing us back to the shining light on a hill."
"It was a message of hope," she said.
Jordan said giving government workers a day off on Friday was a good way to remember Reagan's legacy.
Jordan said she has been very involved in the media coverage of the events surrounding Reagan's death and subsequent memorials and services. "I've really enjoyed following along," she added.
Jordan said she hopes the media coverage will raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease. "It's a terrible disease," she said.
Sherry Crosby said Reagan helped restore the nation to Christian principles.
"I really appreciate his willingness to stand up for what's right," she said. "It was very sad when he passed away."
Sarah Shellhart said Reagan was president when she was a baby. She wasn't taught as much about him in school as she should have been, she said.
"They always skip over that part and go over it really fast in history classes," she said. "They spend way too much time on the Civil War."
Still, she did know several facts.
"He basically ended the Cold War with Russia," she said. "He wanted to start the Star Wars (space-based missile defense) program - my teacher thought that was silly - and he had Alzheimer's."
Shellhart said she thought it was a little odd to shut government down for Reagan's funeral.
"But it's all right," she added. "I don't know how they handled it in the past."
James Koenig II of Phoenix is looking for work in Cheyenne.
"As a member of a union, we didn't like Reagan very much," he said. "He laid off the flight controllers. I don't feel particularly fond of him. (But) he looked like he would be a nice guy if you didn't have to work for him."
Koenig said he watched some of the coverage of Reagan's procession and memorials.
"I'm Jewish, and we consider it a disgrace to hold a body a long time. It bothers me that it covers a whole week. There is no coverage of anything else.
"It looked like a king had died," he added. "It seems like an odd thing to treat him like a king."
But Hutchins said Reagan deserved the recognition he got.
"I think I'll remember it for the rest of my life," he said. "What impressed me was this huge cross-section of America, of common people. We all went just because we appreciated what Reagan meant to us."
In almost every case where the body will lie in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol the federal agencies in the immediate DC downtown area are closed.
Streets are closed when the plans are to move the body up or down the grand avenues (Constitution or Independence).
George Bush closed the entire government nationwide including the US Postal Service, an independent executive agency. He did so under a claim to authority under the Constitution. I am not sure if he closed TVA.
Just about every President's passing will be noted in some manner, and for each and every federal employee who works in the ceremonial core in D.C. a former President is readily considered a "banked holiday".
On the other hand, if we didn't get those guys out of the way others would not be able to come and pay their respects. It's probably a fair trade for everyone!
An historic note ~ I too served on the "border", but back in the late 1960s. The Russians invaded Czechoslovakia right across from where I was located. Saw many things. Glad Ronaldus Magnus, Baroness Thatcher and former Premier Gorbachov elected to agree to eliminate it. That border is much better as a memory than as a reality.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.