# A few George HW Bush funeral questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622 "2018-12-05T18:03:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/1 "2018-12-05T18:03:25Z")
Sorry, title should read “A few George HW Bush funeral questions” Never afraid to ask the dumb questions: 1. Although I’m not much for televised funerals (I’m pretty sure mine won’t be), I’m rather impressed by the logistics surrounding the ceremonies for the late Pres. Bush. Is there a specific government department tasked with organizing funerals for heads of state, is it all done through the White House, or what? 2. Who’s paying for all the pomp and circumstance and roughly how much? I assume the taxpayers, at least in part. Not complaining, just curious. 3. OK, trivial, I know, but any idea who supplied the hearse (complete with presidential seal) for the ceremony in DC? I guess I’m asking, does the government keep a fleet of hearses around for occasions like this, or do they just slap the seal on one borrowed from Fred’s Mortuary? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/2 "2018-12-05T18:09:34Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Sorry, title should read “A few George HW Bush funeral questions” Fixed. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/3 "2018-12-05T18:20:58Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > 1. Although I’m not much for televised funerals (I’m pretty sure mine won’t be), I’m rather impressed by the logistics surrounding the ceremonies for the late Pres. Bush. Is there a specific government department tasked with organizing funerals for heads of state, is it all done through the White House, or what? I was thinking about this as well this morning while I caught some of it on TV. There seemed to be a lot of organization, and the soldiers, at least, were practiced as pall bearers walking down a flight of stairs together. I would not be surprised if there is a playbook somewhere that someone is tasked to maintain for events like this. It appears to be a fairly big deal to come together in a matter of days, and so organized and practiced. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/4 "2018-12-05T18:24:09Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > 1. Although I’m not much for televised funerals (I’m pretty sure mine won’t be), I’m rather impressed by the logistics surrounding the ceremonies for the late Pres. Bush. Is there a specific government department tasked with organizing funerals for heads of state, is it all done through the White House, or what? As for that, the [United States Army Military District of Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Military_District_of_Washington) is responsible for state funerals. I believe they meet with presidents soon after the presidents take office to begin the planning. Googling, it appears that the hearse was a Cadillac XTS hearse, which is one of their custom models. I can’t find who supplied it but it’s possible it was provided by a local funeral home, or even General Motors directly. What I’m wondering is about the closure of the USPS today. Was that done for past funerals? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/5 "2018-12-05T19:54:33Z")
We watched the funeral, but I’m working so I missed a bit. I saw Brian Mulroney delivering a eulogy. Were there any current heads of state or other foreign representatives there? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/6 "2018-12-05T20:52:16Z")
Sorry if it’s a bit morbid but wait until Operation London Bridge. > **[Operation London Bridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_London_Bridge)** > > Operation London Bridge was the funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II. The plan included the announcement of her death, the period of official mourning, and the details of her state funeral. The plan was created as early as the 1960s and revised many times in the years before her death in September 2022. > The phrase "London Bridge is down" would be used to communicate the death of the Queen to the prime minister of the United Kingdom and key personnel, setting the plan into motion. Bodies involv... ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/7 "2018-12-05T20:59:31Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What I’m wondering is about the closure of the USPS today. Was that done for past funerals? Federal day of mourning. Not just the post office, but all Federal offices. > **[Here's what's closed for former President George H.W. Bush's funeral on...](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/national-day-of-mourning-closings-federal-offices-united-states-postal-service-stock-markets-closed-for-president-george-h-w-bush-funeral-wednesday-2018-12-4/)** > > Wednesday will be effectively a federal holiday as the nation mourns the death of former President George H.W. Bush ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/8 "2018-12-05T21:24:39Z")
The Chief of Protocol would also be involved in handling arrangements of foreign dignitaries. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/9 "2018-12-05T21:47:38Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > We watched the funeral, but I’m working so I missed a bit. I saw Brian Mulroney delivering a eulogy. Were there any current heads of state or other foreign representatives there? Angela Merkel and Prince Charles were both there. Neither is Head of State, of course, but Merkel’s attendance -rather than whoever is currently President of Germany - says a lot, in a good way. Queen Elizabeth basically doesn’t do foreign funerals at all, so Charles gets to go. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/10 "2018-12-05T21:59:49Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Federal day of mourning. Not just the post office, but all Federal offices. > > [National Day of Mourning closings: Federal offices, U.S. Postal Service, stock markets closed Wednesday for President George H.W. Bush's funeral - CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/national-day-of-mourning-closings-federal-offices-united-states-postal-service-stock-markets-closed-for-president-george-h-w-bush-funeral-wednesday-2018-12-4/) Has this happened before? I don’t remember anything being closed for the deaths of Ford, Reagan or Nixon. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/11 "2018-12-05T22:14:23Z")
I didn’t remember the closures either but [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_day_of_mourning) says there were national days of mourning for all of those presidents. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/12 "2018-12-05T22:46:22Z")
I did see some mail trucks out and about, so I figure Amazon stuff still went out regardless of how deep in mourning the mail people may have been. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/13 "2018-12-06T00:55:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > As for that, the [United States Army Military District of Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Military_District_of_Washington) is responsible for state funerals. I believe they meet with presidents soon after the presidents take office to begin the planning. > > Googling, it appears that the hearse was a Cadillac XTS hearse, which is one of their custom models. I can’t find who supplied it but it’s possible it was provided by a local funeral home, or even General Motors directly. > > What I’m wondering is about the closure of the USPS today. Was that done for past funerals? Thanks. Most of you may know this, but Union Pacific has provided the rolling stock for the train that will take Bush’s remains from Houston to College Station, where he is to be interred. This includes locomotive 4141, which, back in 2005 was painted in livery resembling that of Air Force One to commemorate the Bush presidency. I live a few miles from the train’s departure point in Spring, and I suspect the afternoon traffic will be even more of a nightmare than usual. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/14 "2018-12-06T02:31:47Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I would not be surprised if there is a playbook somewhere that someone is tasked to maintain for events like this. It appears to be a fairly big deal to come together in a matter of days, and so organized and practiced. Once upon a time I assumed command of my first company in the Michigan National Guard. It was near the Grand Rapids area where then still alive former President Ford grew up. One day a couple months in one of my full timers made a reference to his next week being busy because of the “Operation Bury Jerry” update meeting. That’s when I got read into the Ford Funeral Plan. The meeting in question, IIRC, happened every two years. This was only a piece of the overall funeral plan - Ford laying in rest at his Presidential library in Grand Rapid. It involved both the FBI and Secret Service. ISTR some reps from other federal agencies. There was also a broad sampling of reps from state government agencies. Even after I left command I winced whenever Ford came up in the news along with any mention of his health. I happened to be on a set of orders at state headquarters preparing two units for deployment when Ford died. The priority got me out of supporting the funeral. The building was a ghost town for about a week, though. These things most certainly aren’t just thrown together at the last moment with nobody thinking about them in the meantime. That said, the MI National Guard support still had big chunks of pulling important details out of rectal defilade just before execution. That’s with a detailed plan already in place. The results we saw involved a couple decades of Bush Funeral Plan update meetings. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/15 "2018-12-06T02:53:17Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Angela Merkel and Prince Charles were both there. Neither is Head of State, of course, but Merkel’s attendance -rather than whoever is currently President of Germany - says a lot, in a good way. Queen Elizabeth basically doesn’t do foreign funerals at all, so Charles gets to go. [Frank-Walter Steinmeier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank-Walter_Steinmeier) is the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/16 "2018-12-06T19:30:43Z")
I’m watching the funeral train now as it makes its way to College Station. According to the [UP](https://www.up.com/cs/groups/public/@uprr/@newsinfo/documents/up_pdf_nativedocs/pdf_up_media_41_train_consist.pdf), included are three full diners (including a dome diner) and two business cars with their own kitchens and seating for eight. Just how much can these Texans eat on a 2-1/2 hour journey? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/17 "2018-12-06T19:56:28Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I’m watching the funeral train now as it makes its way to College Station. According to the [UP](https://www.up.com/cs/groups/public/@uprr/@newsinfo/documents/up_pdf_nativedocs/pdf_up_media_41_train_consist.pdf), included are three full diners (including a dome diner) and two business cars with their own kitchens and seating for eight. Just how much can these Texans eat on a 2-1/2 hour journey? Those are the most comfortable and luxurious cars Union Pacific has. They don’t necessarily prepare and serve meals on every trip. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/18 "2018-12-06T20:03:55Z")
You’re asking how much a _Texan_ can eat in 2 1/2 hours? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-george-hw-bush-funeral-questions/825622/19 "2018-12-06T21:23:39Z")
I’m sure refreshments will be served as well.