US bids farewell to its longest-living former president

The state funeral of former United States president Jimmy Carter began on Saturday (Jan 4) in Georgia. The six-day farewell for the 39th President of the United States began with ceremonies in his home state.

The US’ longest-living president will lie in repose in Georgia before being flown to Washington, DC, on Tuesday (Jan 7). 

Carter’s farewell procession

The procession, as per AFP, got underway with US Secret Service agents from Jimmy Carter’s current and former protective details carrying his flag-draped casket to a hearse for a tour through Plains, Georgia, where he died on December 29 at age 100.

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Crowds gathered along the roadside to bid farewell to Carter, many of them waving small US flags, snapping photographs, and saluting as the motorcade carrying Carter’s remains rolled past.

Later on Saturday, the procession continued to Atlanta for a brief stop and moment of silence at the Georgia State Capitol, where Jimmy Carter served as a state senator before becoming governor.

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‘An amazing man’

The motorcade also visited the Carter Presidential Library, where the military honour guard received the casket. There, addressing attendees, Carter’s second son James “Chip” Carter said, “He was an amazing man, and he was held up and propped up and soothed by an amazing woman (Carter’s wife, Rosalynn Carter). And the two of them together changed the world. And it was an amazing thing to work from so close and to be able to be involved. And thank you for your service.”

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“We will spend this week celebrating this incredible life and a life that I think we can all agree is as full and powerful as any life can be. As someone said, it’s amazing what you can cram into 100 years,” added the former president’s grandson Jason Carter.

State funeral schedule

From Georgia, the remains of Jimmy Carter were escorted to the Carter Presidential Center, where he will lie in repose from 7:00 pm on Saturday (0000 GMT Sunday) to 6:00 am Tuesday, allowing the public to pay their respects.

According to AFP, the remains will be flown from a military base in Georgia to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on a US Air Force plane dubbed Special Air Mission 39. A motorcade will then transport them to the US Navy Memorial, several blocks from the White House. 

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From there, a horse-drawn caisson will carry the funeral procession to the US Capitol where military pallbearers will carry his flag-draped casket to the Capitol rotunda where his body will lie in state, surrounded by a guard of honour of service members, until 7:00 am Thursday (Jan 9).

The same day, a national funeral service will be held at the National Cathedral where current President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy for his fellow Democrat Carter.

(With inputs from agencies)