Has any US President attended a soldier's funeral?

[jessicazi]

Just wondering. Heard a freeper say that Bush can't, simply because he wouldn't want to disrupt the funeral with his secret service crew, etc...She said no president has attended any funeral of a soldier...is this true? My opinion is that Bush doesn't attend because he is a coward.

[Lindacooks]

1. Yes they have.

Bill Clinton - Bill Clinton attended a service in October 2000 in memory of the 17 sailors killed in the attack on the USS Cole.

After the terrorist bombing the Murrah building in downtown Oklahoma City he publicly grieved with the families of the victims at an event that was regarded at the time as a turning point in his presidency.

Lyndon Baines Johnson - According to the Johnson Library, LBJ attended two funerals for soldiers who died during the Vietnam War. The first funeral was for Captain Albert Smith, son of White House correspondent Merriman Smith, which was held February 28, 1966. The second was for Major General Keith R. Ware, held September 17, 1968. LBJ had met Ware while visiting Vietnam.

Richard Nixon - Richard Nixon does not appear to have attended the funerals of any soldiers killed in Vietnam.

George H.W. Bush - President George Herbert Walker Bush does not appear to have attended any funerals for American soldiers. (The NYT, citing Marlin Fitzwater as a source, indicated that the president did attend several such funerals. But no details were provided.)


http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/09/14/150821.php

[jessicazi]

3. WOW!

Thanks so much for the information!!!

[SeattleGirl]

4. Didn't the freepers acuse Bill of grandstanding by attending?

Of course, they will find something wrong with everything he does. Personally, I think if a president sends men and women into a war, he has the moral obligation to attend at least some of the funerals. Not to mention listening to the pain of the families, as well as their anger at their loss. On Larry King recently, he asked Bill whether * should meet with Cindy. I wish Bill would have come right out at said, hell yes, but he did talk about meeting with family members, particularly a father who was very angry with him. He said it was hard to hear, but that the father had earned the right to that anger, and if that helped him in the smallest way to heal, the Bill said that was fine by him. Cannot imagine * doing that!

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Even FDR and Trumman did

[Ken Burch]

5. Didn't Reagan go to the service for the Marines

Who got blown up in Beirut? I thought he did.