Hello everyone, welcome once again to my weekly countdown as we get closer and closer to “Summer Trip 2019”!
Today, I would like to touch base on one of our nation’s most prominent political families… The Bushes.
No no no, these Bushes!
There ya go!
As I am sure that most of you are aware, Former President George H.W. Bush (left) passed away last November at his home in Houston, just 7 months after the passing of his beloved wife Barbara (who he affectionately called “Bar”). This brought a close to the longest married Presidential couple in U.S. History, at 73 years. (Editor’s Note: This record has since been passed by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter on October 18th, 2019.)
I think that in most of our minds, we thought that it wouldn’t be long until Bush 41 would join her, as he depended on her and loved her so very much. Not to mention, his rapidly failing health was likely evident to everyone. But nonetheless, when you hear the official news of a death close to you (in our minds, Bush 41 felt like family), you still get hit with a fairly decent amount of shock.
When my mother came into my room at 11:00 PM at night to relay me the news, I was indeed, shocked. A president hadn’t died since that of Gerald Ford’s in December 2006, and that was well beyond my recent memory. Twice had we been to Bush 41’s burial plot at his Presidential Library in College Station (one during this last summer trip), and it would seem that the gravesite would soon be occupied after all this time…
I returned to Texas Lutheran University to prepare for studying for my semester finals, and on Tuesday, I got a phone call from my dad. He suggested, that, on Thursday December 6th, we (me, my mom, dad, and a family friend), could go drive to College Station and witness the actual Funeral Train of President Bush stop there!
Though at first hesitant because I needed to study, I found out that Thursday was in fact a school-free study day, so we eagerly awaited that fateful day…
George Bush of course, was well known for wearing his crazy socks (he was in fact buried in a pair), so it was only fair that we pay tribute to him…
Comfy and patriotic, my perfect combo.
On that Thursday morning, my parents picked me up from my dorm room on campus, and we drove two hours to College Station… home of Texas A&M, one of the largest colleges in the entire country.
The town had also paid fitting tribute…
We were certainly surprised that thousands of people arrived on this cold and dreary day to pay their respects to this wonderful man… says a little something about the community’s respect towards him doesn’t it?
Through miraculous circumstance, we managed to get front row seats in front of the famous Kyle Field, right in front of the border fence of the road, and right in front of the tracks where the train would pull in. What luck!
The picture turned out horribly for trying to read the sign, but upon this balcony, a group of heartfelt students held a sign that read, “Gig ‘Em 41″. That just warmed my heart…
The weather was absolutely miserable, and soon, it began to rain on us periodically. Though we did have our umbrellas, the rain got into every orface of our body (though I almost caught a cold from all of this, I do not regret one bit of it).
This was an hour of history. Not since Dwight Eisenhower’s funeral in 1969 had a train been used as part of a Presidential Funeral. Not only that, but there was also the slim prospect of getting to spot George W, Bush, the late president’s son! We tracked the train’s progression from live-news throughout all the Texas towns from Houston to College Station: Spring, Magnolia, Stoneham, Navasota, and Wellborn. All along the way, thousands more had lined the tracks to get a glimpse at the casket of George Herbert Walker Bush… it would only be a matter of time…
The first sound we heard as it neared College Station, was the train horn of Union Pacific 4141… just like any other Union Pacific engine… it sent shivers down our spines… Then, we could hear and see the News Helicopter as it flew over far in the distance…. and then the light at the front of the train… what happened next was truly unforgettable…
Once briefly driven by the elder Bush himself, Union Pacific 4141 was numbered after the 41st President of the United States, and repainted to the color scheme of Air Force One… it was a touching idea.
Train Car after train car passed… and soon, we saw it… the car that held the casket.
Thousands of people would get to see the casket that cold December day… for most, it was the first presidential casket that that they had ever seen. Were it not for the fact that I had seen the casket of James A. Garfield back in Ohio, I would also be in this group (The second picture above is not my own).
But what was the most shocking part for me? Well… on the car behind the casket car, two individuals stood out on the train balcony…
It was former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush! The crowd roared with ecstacy at them (though mostly done in respect for the solemnity of the event), and the couple waved back with the biggest smiles on their faces…
I wonder how much joy they felt with all the support that their family has gotten… I bet that they were simply ecstatic. “Dubya” blew a kiss to the crowd, and my mom gave one back, and they soon went back inside as the train came to a halt…
At this point, I was bawling my eyes out… not only because I had just witnessed this special event, but also because I had seen my first U.S. President in person!
Naturally, the route of the funeral motorcade for the final burial at the Library was closed, so we could not get any closer… but pictures could tell much.
And to top it off, just minutes after the hearse and it’s entourage drove out of sight, a terrific display of aerial prowess could be seen. A unprecedented 21-man flyover of navy jets dashed across the sky. No photo could even capture the scope of it…
This was to honor President Bush Sr.’s commitment and service in the Armed Forces during World War II, in which he flew 58 different combat missions.
Five groups of four planes dashing across the skies of East Texas at extreme speeds… and then, a single jet on it’s lonesome self…
The jet rose up with tremendous speed, and, being the symbol of the missing veterans who never came home, rose higher, and higher, until it vanished into the dense clouds above…
Words still cannot express the feelings of pride, grief and wonder that we felt that day, and we returned home thankful for such a lucky encounter… And during one of my following exams the next week, I heard the sound of a train engine horn just like Bush 4141. It made me shiver; it was a sound that will never leave me…
Merely weeks later, the three of us travelled to College Station once more, to visit the now complete gravesite of the President. Unfortunately, as we were soon to realize, the majority of the Library was closed at that time due to the prevailing Government Shutdown that began shortly before. Although the main exhibit halls had been closed, the Foyer, Gift Shop, and grounds/gravesite were open to visitors, who poured in by the dozens from all over.
The flags are naturally at half-staff.
A guestbook was present in the lobby for us to sign, which would eventually be sent to the Bush family. We eagerly jotted down our names.
We then came to the gravesite outside…
The freshly laid ground on the grave still noticeable, George Bush lies in rest between his wife Barbara on the right, and his infant daughter “Robin” on the left.
Dozens of people were around the gravesite, and now that I have visited this special place, I have visited 24/49 Presidential Gravesites.
George Bush lived to be 94 years old, and, until being surpassed by Jimmy Carter (who was only 100 days younger than him), was the longest-lived President in American History.
Having had time to reflect on all that George Bush stood for, I realize now that he was truly a very special man. Though raised in a prominent and wealthy political family, George never chose to live a luxurious life of squalor, but instead gave his greatest devotion to service. He became the youngest naval pilot in World War II, and with his family, he moved to Texas to start his business endeavors, followed by his extraordinary political resume as U.S. Representative, United Nations Ambassador, CIA Director, Vice-President, and finally as our 41st President. His work behind the “Points of Life” foundation has also become quite famous, as his entire mantra of promoting “Volunteerism” has helped to inspire young Americans to make their communities better by doing meaningful work.
But I think that the legacy that he left behind that most will remember, is that honest, genuine, and integrity-filled personality that is so rare to find these days… Bush was truly one of the last of the “Greatest Generation”, as he knew what it meant to not only show grit in whatever he did, but also to be committed to causes that are truly larger than oneself. And I think that as time moves forward, more will come to see that, and hopefully, civility and respect can be restored to society once again.
Godspeed 41. Godspeed.
Thank you all very much for tuning in once more!
Next weekend, I will go into a retrospective of some of the highlights of our Spring-Break Georgia Trip, including the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, and the FDR Little White House!
Thanks everyone, see you next weekend!
Mark's Historical Roadtrips! 