Former President Jimmy Carter returned to Washington this week for a final procession that merged his unique connection to the city with the grandeur of American military honors. From his early White House years — when he balked at the presidency’s ceremonial norms — to his final trip to the capital — where he received the full protocol and pageantry of a state funeral — Carter’s journey illustrates how profoundly he influenced, and was influenced by, the presidency and the nation’s capital.
Carter’s final Washington homecoming began on Tuesday in Georgia, where crowds gathered to pay respects during a departure ceremony at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. Pallbearers from the Joint Armed Forces Body Bearer team escorted Carter’s remains, while the 282nd Army Band — performing in support of Joint Task Force-National Capital Region — played “Amazing Grace” and “Blessed Assurance.”
The motorcade delivered Carter’s body to Dobbins Air Reserve Base, where four Ruffles and Flourishes, a rendition of “Hail to the Chief,” and a 21-gun salute honored the former president. Moments later, pallbearers carried Carter’s casket to the aircraft loader as the U.S. Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence Band played “Nearer My God, to Thee.”
After the late president’s family boarded the aircraft, Special Air Mission 39 — a VC-25 crewed by airmen assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing — flew the former president to Washington.
Army Maj. Gen. Trevor J. Bredenkamp — who commands JTF-NCR and is charged with escorting the former president’s family throughout the ceremony — likened the proceedings to “stitching together the arcs of Carter’s legacy.”
“State funerals demand synchronization across dozens of subordinate units and adjacent commands,” he explained. “Each ceremonial movement, whether in Georgia or at the capital, is meticulously planned and rehearsed to honor the fallen commander in chief.”
“The good thing is, we’re a joint force,” added Navy Rear Adm. David J. Faehnle, whose responsibilities as JTF-NCR’s deputy commander include coordinating task force support during the six-day ceremony.
“At the task force, we’re used to doing operations together, whether it’s Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard or Space Force,” he said. “It really comes down to good communications, clarity on the sequence of events and robust rehearsals.”
By Tuesday afternoon, the returns on JTF-NCR’s investments in flat communication and rehearsals were revealed at Joint Base Andrews, where a Joint Armed Forces Body Bearer team greeted the casket just minutes after Special Air Mission 39 taxied to the tarmac. As Carter’s remains left the aircraft, the U.S. Air Force Band queued up a rendition of “Abide with Me,” perfectly in sync with the pallbearers’ movements.
From Andrews, the funeral procession traveled into the heart of the district, passing landmarks that once witnessed Carter’s efforts to reshape the presidency through a lens of moral clarity.
Carter’s casket transferred from hearse to caisson at the U.S. Navy Memorial — a venue selected to celebrate the former president’s connection to the service. The event featured a formation of midshipmen, the U.S. Navy Band, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Yvette M. Davids, evoking Carter’s arrival at Annapolis in 1943. Fittingly, at the Navy Memorial, the same service in which Carter came of age carried his body forward in final tribute.
Faehnle shed light on the Navy’s outsized contribution to the ceremony. “It is a Navy-centric event,” he said. “Even the Presidential Colors are carried by one of our sailors as a tribute to President Carter’s formative years in the service.”
Following the casket transfer, the funeral procession unfolded along Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues, retracing the route that Carter walked after his inaugural oath in 1977. Representatives from The Old Guard stood at attention while a horse-drawn caisson manned by the U.S. Army Caisson detachment progressed at a measured pace.
At the Capitol Plaza, The U.S. Army Band greeted the late president with another rendition of “Hail to the Chief,” and performed “God of Our Fathers” and “O God Our Help in Ages Past.” Here, Carter’s remains were carried up the East Steps, accompanied by the Special Honor Guard, family members and surviving cabinet officials from his administration.
In the Rotunda, members of Congress, the Vice President, Supreme Court justices and invited guests gathered for a service. The Naval Academy Glee Club sang “My Country, Tis of Thee” and “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” before the Senate and House chaplains delivered an invocation and benediction. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Vice President Kamala Harris offered eulogies and placed wreaths near the casket, acknowledging Carter’s achievements — including his focus on human rights, conservation efforts and community-driven values.
As the ceremony concluded, the late president’s casket was set on the Lincoln Catafalque at the Rotunda’s center. There, Carter’s body laid in state through Wednesday evening, allowing mourners from the public to pay their respects.
Even in death, Carter’s unlikely bond with Washington feels tangible. In the wake of his presidency, he recalled the White House as simultaneously hospitable and intimidating — a place of daily routine for presidents but an almost sacred museum of the nation’s story. That sense of gravitas anchored Carter’s term. Throughout his presidency, Carter believed the White House — with all its storied artifacts — was just on loan to him for a brief chapter.
The district had rarely seen a president like Jimmy Carter when he first arrived in 1977. Unlike many of his political colleagues, Carter grew up in a modest home, faced the hardships of the Great Depression and worked alongside Black sharecroppers on his family’s peanut farm.
That upbringing led him to reject excesses. Known for cost-saving measures — like selling the presidential yacht, limiting the fanfare of Ruffles and Flourishes at events, and choosing simple southern meals over Washington’s upscale offerings — Carter occasionally clashed with a city accustomed to pomp and tradition.
“I was surprised to learn how much the public cherished the grandeur of the presidency,” he later admitted.
Despite the initial culture shock, Carter pressed on, determined to lead with principle. His years in Washington produced lasting accomplishments: he signed the Camp David Accords and reimagined the role of the presidency in forging honest relationships with both Congress and the American people.
This week, that chapter ended, and with JTF-NCR’s support, Washington poured forth every means of respect. Elite service members assigned to the Joint Ceremonial Honor Guard stood watch over Carter’s remains through Wednesday night, while lines of citizens snaked along barricades, braving freezing temperatures to pay their respects to the former president. And the capital city that initially balked at Carter’s modest demeanor seemed to understand, at last, that his humility was neither accidental nor fleeting.
While the pageantry on display during Carter’s funeral may appear at odds with the late president’s understated approach to the office, Faehnle explained how the proceedings were tailored to meet the former commander in chief’s intent.
“While state funerals seem to emphasize pomp and formality, President Carter viewed his ceremony as an opportunity to embrace the American people,” Faehnle said. “What you saw during the procession and motorcade, and at the Navy Memorial and Rotunda, was a connection between a bereaved public and a president who prioritized common citizens. A well-executed ceremony allows Americans to honor their former commander-in-chief.”
As he monitored the ceremony from the task force’s joint operations center, Faehnle offered his final thoughts on the military’s place in the ceremony.
“For JTF-NCR, this week is about precision and ceremonial excellence,” he said. “It not only represents our respect for civilian leadership but also shows that no matter the mission — be it honoring a fallen head of state or protecting our nation around the globe — each service stands ready to execute with excellence.”
