WASHINGTON – It wasn’t just a salute to a president, it was a tribute to a generation.
President George H. W. Bush was remembered during more than two days of ceremonies and services in Washington as the last president forged from World War II, a leader dedicated to military service, bipartisanship, responsibility and hard choices.
“Dad taught us that public service is noble and necessary, that one can serve with integrity and hold true to the important values like faith and family,” former President George W. Bush said of his father at the funeral on Wednesday.
“When he lost, he shouldered the blame,” Bush added.
Former Sen. Bob Dole salutes the flag-draped casket containing the remains of former President George H.W. Bush as he lies in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)Bush spoke to an audience sprinkled with other members of what’s been called “the greatest generation.” There are few left among Washington’s elite. Congress said goodbye to its last World War II veterans in 2015. In the audience was former Sen. Bob Dole, 95, a veteran of the same war, who on Tuesday rose from his wheelchair with assistance to salute Bush’s casket under the Capitol Rotunda. President Jimmy Carter, 94, who spent the war years at the Naval Academy, attended with his wife, Rosalynn.