WASHINGTON - D.C. is saying goodbye to the late Senator John McCain.
The Arizona senator and Vietnam War veteran died Saturday after battling an aggressive form of brain cancer for over a year. Wednesday would have been his 82nd birthday.
Over the course of five days, McCain’s body will travel from the Arizona Capitol to Washington, D.C., to Annapolis, Maryland, where he will be buried at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Several events to honor McCain will be held throughout The District including:
Friday: McCain lies in state at U.S. Capitol Rotunda
McCain’s body lain in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda Friday.
A formal ceremony took place honoring his life at approximately Friday morning. At the ceremony, McCain's Congress colleagues presented wreaths from the Senate, the House of Representatives and one for the executive branch.
Speakers included:
- Rear Admiral Barry C. Black, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate
- Reverend Patrick J. Conroy, S.J., Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Mitch McConnell, United States Senate Majority Leader
- Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States
- Paul Ryan, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
- Chuck Schumer, United States Senate Minority Leader
At the conclusion of that ceremony, the public paid their respects to the late senator from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Street closures began on Thursday, August 30 and end at 11 p.m. on Saturday, September 1.
- East Capitol Street NE/SE, from Second Street, NE/SE, to First Street, NE/SE
- First Street, NE/SE, from Constitution Ave., NE, to Independence Ave., SE
McCain is just the 31st person to have received the honor of lying in state in the Capitol Rotunda since Henry Clay became the first in 1852. McCain joins an illustrious list that includes Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and Rosa Parks.
Saturday: Service at National Cathedral
The family will be gathered at the Capitol where they will escort Sen. McCain's body along Pennsylvania Avenue to the Vietnam War Memorial, where Cindy McCain and the family will lay a wreath.
A service will be held for McCain at the Washington National Cathedral in D.C., on Saturday. The service will start at 10 a.m. Family, friends, national and international dignitaries are expected to attend.
The first tribute will be done by Sen. McCain's daughter, Meghan. His son, Jimmy, will read a poem. Others who will read tributes are former Sen. Joe Libermam, Dr. Henry Kissinger as well as president George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Sidney McCain, the senator's daughter, will conduct a reading along with McCain's friend Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Davis said "Danny Boy" will be performed as a musical interlude at the specific request of Sen. McCain.
Sunday: Burial at U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis
The McCain family will travel with John McCain to his final resting place.
A private memorial service will take place at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis prior to a private burial service at the academy ceremony.
Four generations of McCains have attended the Naval Academy: his grandfather, his father, Sen. McCain, and his son Jack, who currently serves in the Navy.
McCain will be laid to rest next to his classmate and lifelong friend, Admiral Chuck Larson. Larson died in 2014 of pneumonia after two years of treatment for leukemia.
The events at the Naval Academy will not be open to the public or press.
The U.S. Naval Academy will remain open to the public Sunday morning. Starting at 1 p.m. there will be the following restrictions:
- Gate 3 and Gate 8 will be closed to incoming vehicles at 1 p.m. (Gate 1 will remain open to all vehicles for the duration of the day).
- Gate 3 and Gate 8 will be closed to all pedestrians, to include the turnstile access point at Gate 3. (Gate 1 will remain open to all pedestrians)
- Those persons who typically exercise on the yard (runners, walkers, dog-walkers, etc.) are discouraged to do so after 1 p.m. due to the limited access and shortened routes. However, the loop around Farragut Field and Dewey Seawall accessed by Gate 1 will remain open.
- The museum at Preble Hall will be closed all day Sunday and will re-open Monday as previously scheduled.
- The Visitor Center and Gift Shop will remain open, but no tours will be offered Sunday. There will be limited access to the yard by all visitors. Changes include: No access to the chapel, crypt, museum, and Gate 3 beginning at 1 p.m. Tour groups from the City of Annapolis who typically enter the yard for tours, will not access the yard for tours Sunday.
- Hospital Point (to include the cemetery, athletic fields, footbridge and seawall areas) will be closed to all personnel.
- Marine traffic is requested to remain clear of College Creek.
