McCain becomes first identified Vietnam veteran to lie in state at Capitol Rotunda

Dennis Wagner | The Republic | azcentral.com

When Sen. John McCain's remains were carried into the Capitol Rotunda on Friday, he technically became the first known Vietnam veteran to lie in state there.

McCain is not the first overall, however, because an "Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam Conflict" received similar honors in 1984. And a Capitol police officer, who had served in Vietnam, was "lain in honor" at the Rotunda after he was murdered in 1998.

According to U.S. Senate records, the distinctions at play stem from a specific definition of "lying in state."

By its strictest definition, the phrase is reserved exclusively for tributes to U.S. government officials or military officers. Lying in state means their caskets are on display and under military guard.

Since Sen. Henry Clay became the first American to receive the honor in 1852, a total of 31 people have been so distinguished. The list includes 11 presidents as well as unknown soldiers from World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

An identical ceremony, known as "lying in honor," was created in 1998 for private citizens after two Capitol police officers – Jacob J. Chestnut and John Gibson – were killed by a gunman. Civil rights activist Rosa Parks and the evangelist minister, Billy Graham, later received that honor.

On Friday, McCain's casket was placed atop a wooden platform covered with fabric, known as the catafalque. It was built for President Abraham Lincoln's ceremony in 1865.

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