[Dianna]

Has it been mentioned here that the flag covering the casket tonight is the one that flew over the U.S. Capitol on the occasion of President Reagan's first inaugural?

I love tidbits of info like this! Thanks so much. Earlier, when they played "Hail To The Chief" at the Capitol building, I wondered how many Presidents (maybe as they are leaving office)think about it playing for them again at their funeral.

It is, at once, a creepy-shivery thought but also somehow profound.

[dougherty]

I wonder what goes through the minds of the honor guards as they stand perfectly still throughout all of this.

[Dont Mention the War]

I love tidbits of info like this! Thanks so much. Earlier, when they played "Hail To The Chief" at the Capitol building, I wondered how many Presidents (maybe as they are leaving office)think about it playing for them again at their funeral. It is, at once, a creepy-shivery thought but also somehow profound.

Yeah, it comes off like a disturbing reenactment of the old Monty Python "How Not To Be Seen" sketch.

[Timeout]

I love tidbits of info like this!

Me, too.

Speaking of "Hail to the Chief", did you notice this little tidbit? When the band played "Hail to the Chief" upon the casket's arrival at the library, they only played the first stanza, leaving out the lilting 2nd stanza. I felt a little let down that they didn't play the whole thing. The shortened version was played again upon his leaving the library.

But, when he arrived at Point Mugu, the long version was played, as it was at every subsequent point along the route to the capitol.

Does anyone know the protocol distinction between the long and short versions? Does it have to do with being on a "state" level at the library but on a "federal" level upon arriving at Point Mugu?