TDCJ correctional officers stand at attention in honor of former president George H.W. Bush as the train transporting his casket passes by.
On a cool, damp day in December, a group of correctional officers from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice was called on to perform a job duty which brought a singular honor: to provide security for the presidential funeral train carrying the 41st president of the United States to its final resting place at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station. President Bush was 94 years old when he died at his home in Houston on November 30, 2018. He was, at the time, the oldest living U.S. president.
Pack Unit Warden Robert Herrera explained why the agency staff appreciated the opportunity to provide this critical service. “He’s a true Texan. That’s what they consider him, so we just want to help out anyway we can.” Herrera also described his feelings to the event, saying “This is history in the making. This is the first time I’m ever going to see it and I don’t know if I’ll ever see something like it again.”
After laying in state in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol for five days, Bush was transported to the Washington National Cathedral for an official state funeral, then flown to Texas for a second service held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston. On December 6, the president was placed in Union Pacific’s car number six, named Council Bluffs, a modified baggage-handler fitted with large windows to allow spectators a final view of the casket as it passed.
A naval honor guardsman stands watch over the presidential casket aboard the George H.W. Bush funeral train.
The 70-mile rail journey from Spring to College Station, where the president was laid to rest next to his wife Barbara, winds through small towns and rural areas of East Texas. The crowds expected to turn out in honor of the late president posed a potentially serious security problem, as a limited number of police and Department of Public Safety officers were available to keep people a safe distance from the passing train.
Navasota Chief of Police Shawn Myatt described the significance of the event for him and his town, saying “I’ve been a police chief for 21 years, I would have to say I’ve seen and been a part of a lot of important things, but today just in my lifetime and as a police officer I’d say this is pretty monumental. So it’s pretty important to us.” Myatt explained the reason his city asked TDCJ for help. “Right now the (town’s) population sets around 7,600-7,800. We’re anticipating from everyone we talked to, probably around 20,000. You know, that’s a huge impact, and that’s what led us up to reaching out to TDCJ as a resource.”
To fill in security gaps along the route, TDCJ provided 56 correctional officers to keep safe the thousands who came to honor the president’s memory. The chance to help protect the funeral route provided an opportunity to honor the late president’s achievements in service to his country, and the COs who manned the barricades considered themselves privileged to assist in any way they could.
Hundreds of spectators wait along the track while others watch from buildings to witness the presidential funeral train pass through Navasota.
TDCJ Correctional Officer Jon Paul McPeake described the emotion shared by those asked to help guard the funeral train. “We’re fresh out of the academy and they say ‘Hey, they’re going to need us down there. Are you all interested?’ And, of course, we jump at any chance we can to try and help out.” McPeake added, “It’s a sad event, but at the same time you know it’s something we’re more than happy to do. It shows that not only are we just there to guard and protect, we’re also there to help out and assist in any way we need to, any way we can. It’s just a time of showing our respect for a man from Texas. This is a huge privilege, a huge honor.”
The funeral train was pulled by Bush 4141, a Union Pacific locomotive commissioned to honor the former president. This one-of-a-kind diesel engine is painted blue and white and emblazoned with the presidential seal to resemble Air Force One, the plane used to transport the president of the United States.
