Ford laid to rest
James Prichard
Michigan - Gerald R Ford's sunset burial service capped the official mourning for the 38th US president, whose casket traveled more than 4 300 kilometres from the California desert to the nation's capitol before reaching its final stop on a hill overlooking a river in his Michigan hometown.
Ford was laid to rest on the grounds of his museum late on Wednesday as thousands of onlookers lined nearby streets and bridges and stood atop buildings to catch a glimpse of history.
The sunset service featured a 21-gun salute and a flyover of 21 F-15E fighter jets above the Grand River, which flows beside the museum. Light applause broke out as one jet in the final formation suddenly flew straight up as its rear engine glowed.
Captain Bill Roberts, a spokesman for the Michigan National Guard, which assisted with the Ford events, said on Wednesday evening that the president's body had not yet been placed in the ground. He could not say exactly when it would happen.
The former president had earlier been remembered at Grace Episcopal Church as a man not afraid to laugh, make tough decisions or listen to the advice of his independent wife.
"You learn a lot about a man when you run against him for president, and you stand in his shoes and assume the responsibilities that he has borne so well," said the late president's successor, Jimmy Carter.
He described the close friendship they developed over the years. "I relished his sound advice," Carter said as his wife, Rosalynn Carter, cried. "I want to thank my predecessor for all he did to heal our land."
Ford's widow, Betty, wiped away tears as she sat with the couple's four children and more than 300 dignitaries and family friends, including Vice President Dick Cheney and golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, an honourary pallbearer.
"He was one of us," said Ford's defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld. "And that made him special and needed in a dark and dangerous hour for our nation.
Ford, who became president after Richard Nixon resigned in 1974, died December 26 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 93.
Ceremonies were held last week in Southern California, near Ford's retirement home. The mourning then shifted to the nation's capital for an elaborate national funeral service before his casket was returned for an 18-hour viewing on Tuesday night and on Wednesday at the museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Some 57 000 mourners waited hours to file past the flag-draped casket during the night.
Afterward, the casket traveled in a motorcade from the museum to the funeral service at Grace Episcopal Church, then back to the museum.
Several thousand flag-waving mourners lined the roads under sunny skies and brisk winds during the procession.
The Navy later confirmed that it will name its next aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford, as Rumsfeld divulged during his eulogy at Ford's funeral.
News was from www.news24.co.za
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