I took a train from NYC to DC last night and returned immediately this morning after viewing the President’s coffin.
I waited in line for 4.5 hours (1 AM – 5:30 AM) with thousands of members of the Reagan Revolution and it was worth every minute. The crowds were in good spirits as they made their way through the mazes of lines, but after we got through the metal detectors, the mood changed. When you exit the final security check, you walk out onto the main level of the Capitol’s West Front and there was silence. A solemnity took over as people made their way to the entrance into the Capitol. The line moved from the south side of the House to the middle of the Capitol and from there people ascended a staircase into the Rotunda. I passed through a doorway into the Rotunda filled with the faithful, the honor guard, the great artwork of the Rotunda, and the flag draped coffin. Several people cried and the whole minute inside the Rotunda was exceptional.
Brian F. Gardner