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Gerald R. Ford Burial Services in Grand Rapids

Veloise

By Veloise
in Grand Rapids

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Allison Slater Town

Allison Slater

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I didn't get to catch the sunset on the jets, as they disappeared over the hanging rood of the DeVos place as they passed over. However, I got the opportunity to stare straight up into the afterburned of the missing man, completed the maneouver right above my head.. was unable to get a photo of that, though. I'll post them in an hour or so.

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GRGridGirl Hamlet

GRGridGirl

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Wow, hard to believe that the services are over, its been such a whirlwind of activity these past few days. I went down to the Ford Museum again this morning and only had to wait one hour. I watched the motorcade on its way to Grace at the East Hills Center, a nice view down Lake Drive. I watched the return at Monroe/Fulton, it was quite the sight to see the motorcade heading all the way down Fulton to turn at Monroe.

The flyover was amazing. It was poetic, heartfelt, and created an emotional bond with the 100's of us on the pedestrian bridge. I will never forget the sound and sight of those planes. Many people cheered, there were tears, and then a moment of silence. I felt proud to have had the opportunity to be a part of this historic event, it was the first time in a long time that I felt proud to be an American.....

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Allison Slater Town

Allison Slater

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About 20 minutes before the 1st procession even began

ChiFord_064.jpg

I wanted to get the hearse and the McKay in 1 shot.. I thought it'd be really cool. My timing was spot on, but with all the people it really didn't turn out too well.

ChiFord_069.jpg

I took this shot specifically for Veloise. ;D

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Roads were closed for the 2nd procession about 30 minutes before the motocade even came through.. here's the nasty backup:

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They were moving too quickly.. this was my best shot of the hearse:

ChiFord_078.jpg

Insanely huge throngs of people

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Did I mention my excellent skills at timing things? =D Years of being a video game geek and a DJ really helps.

ChiFord_097.jpg

The jets are coming

ChiFord_100.jpg

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ChiFord_107.jpg

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starrfish Whistle-Stop

starrfish

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Thanks for the team coverage guys and gals! I didn't get to see anything firsthand or even on TV, save for the fighter jets in the distance yesterday. All the pictures and stories have been great! Grand Rapids really looks fantastic in all the photos and I can only imagine how it looked on TV to all the people who have never been here! Cheers.

*fish

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Thanks for the team coverage guys and gals! I didn't get to see anything firsthand or even on TV, save for the fighter jets in the distance yesterday. All the pictures and stories have been great! Grand Rapids really looks fantastic in all the photos and I can only imagine how it looked on TV to all the people who have never been here! Cheers.

*fish

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destijl Whistle-Stop

destijl

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I'm coming home to GR tomorrow on a trip that was planned months ago, and am sorry to have missed this historic event by just a few days. Thank God for C-SPAN.

After surfing the cable news channels and listening to the coverage on XM satellite radio in my car for the last few days, I have a few general observations:

1) Much of the media do not seem to realize that the Presidential Library and the Presidential Museum are separate buildings in different cities. I actually saw a newscast showing footage of the Library in Ann Arbor with the newscaster stating that 'this is where Ford will be buried'.

2) I found it strange that reporters seemed to emphasize that the burial site is 'on a hill'. I guess I would describe it more like a slope to the river bank.

3) From what I saw, the incidental video shots of the city were nice, but I wish they would have shown more of the skyline. It helped that it was a beautiful day in GR for January.

4) The people of GR appeared genuinely respectful and well behaved. Not every city would have been so polite.

5) Some of the media seem to think that GR is in the Central Time Zone.

One thing that infuriated me while channel surfing was Don Imus' comments on MSNBC. He remarked that the Ford Museum looked more like a Ford car dealership, and that the burial site 'on a hill' is valuable real estate better suited for something else. I understand that these are just his opinions, but I found them to be insensitive considering they were made on the National Day of Mourning. Regardless, I would defend his right to state his opinion; it just shows a lack of class (in my opinion).

BTW.. Thanks to all for the great pictures.

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Veloise City

Veloise

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Thanks for the team coverage guys and gals! I didn't get to see anything firsthand or even on TV, save for the fighter jets in the distance yesterday. All the pictures and stories have been great! Grand Rapids really looks fantastic in all the photos and I can only imagine how it looked on TV to all the people who have never been here! Cheers.

*fish

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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There were quite a few people walking around the museum and the burial place at lunch. Does anyone know how the casket will be/or is buried inside that "alcove"? Is it in a crypt inside the concrete wall? Was it lowered into a crypt in the ground? Will it be in an above-ground "tomb"? It seems kind of strange that we haven't heard much about it.

I've looked on all the local media outlets and can't find anything.

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LA Dave Hamlet

LA Dave

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Incredible pictures, folks, especially the one of the "missing man" kicking in the afterburners. GRDad, that picture of the KC-135 was useful, even it was refueling a Navy FA-18.

Did anyone hear this? My brother was listening to MSNBC and thought he heard some commentator (not sure who) claim that the old building of Grace Episcopal Church, which was on Cherry, was "damaged by Northern forces in the Civil War."

I guess I missed that conflict in my studies of the 19th century.

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Veloise City

Veloise

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There were quite a few people walking around the museum and the burial place at lunch. Does anyone know how the casket will be/or is buried inside that "alcove"? Is it in a crypt inside the concrete wall? Was it lowered into a crypt in the ground? Will it be in an above-ground "tomb"? It seems kind of strange that we haven't heard much about it.

I've looked on all the local media outlets and can't find anything.

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