President George H.W. Bush returns to Washington for final time

HOUSTON – The body of former President George H.W. Bush arrived Monday in Washington, where he is lying in state, after being flown from Houston aboard Air Force One.

People are traveling from all over the country to say goodbye to the former president. 

"President Bush is the first president I ever voted for I actually wrote him in in 1980.
As he grew older I always told my family that if anything ever happened to him that I  was going to be one of those people who came when he was lying in state so my nephew was gracious enough to jump in the car with me at 6  last night and here we are at 3 in the morning," said Carrie Hutchman of Mariana, Ohio 

America’s 41st president died late Friday at his Tanglewood home. He was 94.

On Monday morning, the flag-draped casket was carried out of the George H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home in Tanglewood and loaded into a waiting hearse.

VIDEO: Bush's casket leaves Houston funeral home for trip to Washington

The motorcade then traveled down San Felipe Street to Interstate 610, bound for Ellington Field.

Scores of people gathered at Ellington on Monday to witness the body of the late president being loaded onto Air Force, which is using the call sign "Special Air Mission 41" when transporting Bush's body.

"Hail to the Chief" was played and cannons sounded as Bush's casket was removed from the hearse. The Bush family, with hands over their hearts, looked on as the casket was loaded onto the presidential plane and the band played "Eternal Father, Strong to Save."

Members of the Bush family, including former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, boarded Air Force One just before the plane flew to Washington. The late president's service dog, Sully, also boarded the airplane.

PHOTOS: George H.W. Bush's body makes final trip to Washington

By Monday afternoon, the former president's body was back in Washington for the events that commemorated his service to the country.

Cannons were fired and a military band played "Hail to the Chief" to welcome the late leader to Washington for the final time. As the late leader's casket was taken from the airplane to a waiting hearse, the band played "My Country 'Tis of Thee" while the Bush family watched with hands over their hearts.

Several sailors, many of whom serve aboard the ship bearing the former president's name, saluted as a motorcade carrying the casket traveled from the military base to the U.S. Capitol.

"Hail to the Chief" was played and cannons were fired as George H.W. Bush returned to Capitol Hill for the final time. The Bush family listened and watched from the Capitol steps while the band played "Fairest Lord Jesus" and "A Mighty Fortress is our God" as military members carried the casket from the hearse and into the rotunda.

A ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda welcomed Bush to the seat of the legislative branch for the final time.

Several high-profile lawmakers spoke during the ceremony:

• Vice President Mike Pence said President Bush's example will always inspire and his lifetime of public service will be enshrined in the hearts of the American people. Pence said Bush never failed to answer the call to serve his country. Pence saidBush joked there was "nothing substantive to do at all" going into the job of serving as vice president for two terms under President Ronald Reagan. But Pence said Bush set the standard as "a sound counselor and loyal adviser to an outsider who came to Washington, D.C., to shake things up, cut taxes, rebuild the military, and together they did just that." He also thanked Bush's family for sharing "this special man" with the country and the world. The vice president said Bush left America and the world "more peaceful, prosperous and secure."
• House Speaker Paul Ryan praised President Bush as a "great patriot," and the first president he had been able to cast a ballot for as a young man. Ryan said, "Here lies a great man." Ryan said Bush's character was "second to none." He said Bush lived his life with "a fundamental decency that resonates across generations." Ryan said Bush's presidential campaign in 1988 first drew him to politics. He said Bush showed other political leaders that "how we live is as important as what we achieve."
• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell compared the "steady hand" with which President Bush kept his bomber under control when it was shot down during World War II with the way he guided the country. McConnell said Bush "kept us flying high and challenged us to fly higher still" as he steered the U.S. through the end of the Cold War and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump paid their respects to the late president Monday night.

The former chief executive will lie in state at the rotunda until Wednesday morning, before a state funeral at the National Cathedral.

George H.W. Bush's body will be flown back to Houston after Wednesday’s funeral. He will lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church until Thursday morning.

He will be buried at his presidential library in College Station, where former first lady Barbara Bush and their daughter, Robin Bush, are also buried.

Click here to read the full schedule of events.

More video

Below you'll find more video from Monday's events honoring former President George H.W. Bush.

Highlights from ceremonies honoring George H.W. Bush

Bush's casket leaves Houston funeral home

Motorcade escorts Bush's body to Ellington Field

Departure ceremony at Ellington Field

Arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Washington, D.C.

Former President George H.W. Bush casket arrives at U.S. Capital

Highlights of ceremony held at U.S. Capital as late President Bush lies in state