The footfalls of a military honor guard echoed Tuesday across the Capitol Rotunda as Congress paused to welcome the late President Jimmy Carter for the last time in a ceremony steeped in his deep Christian faith, military service and post-presidency work.
“Today, we gather to celebrate the life of a man whose works will echo for generations to come, a man from Plains, Ga., who grew up without electricity or running water and served as the 39th president of the United States of America,” Vice President Kamala Harris said. “And [he] lived every day of his long life in service to the people.”
The silence as Carter’s casket was placed on the Lincoln catafalque, draped in a black cloth, was a jarring change from just moments earlier, when military cannons fired 21 times in a salute to the former commander in chief and Navy veteran. The explosions reverberated inside.
