President Jimmy Carter and The Navy Memorial
RELEASE: United States Navy Memorial's Role in President Carter's State Funeral
January 3, 2024
The United States Navy Memorial mourns the loss of Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. President, Naval officer and Submariner, and is honored to participate in his official funeral procession. On Tuesday, January 7th, at 2:00 p.m., President Carter’s remains will be transferred from a hearse to a horse-drawn caisson at the United States Navy Memorial and Visitors Center before proceeding to the United States Capitol.
President Carter chose the United States Navy Memorial as the site for this event, and it honors one of his lasting contributions as president—authorizing the construction of the United States Navy Memorial Plaza and Visitors Center on Pennsylvania Avenue in 1980.
This moment will serve as a bookend for two significant events of President Carter’s legacy. In January of 1977, Carter surprised the nation by getting out of the motorcade vehicle and walking with his family down Pennsylvania Avenue during the inaugural parade from the U.S. Capitol to the White House. On Tuesday, January 7th, his family will join him for one last walk along Pennsylvania Avenue as they head from the United States Navy Memorial and Visitors Center to the United States Capitol.
This site also pays homage to his time in the Navy, which Carter said prepared him for the rest of his life and career, ingraining him with the characteristics of “courage, self-sacrifice, idealism, and self-discipline.”
The Lone Sailor Statue, representing all who have served, are serving or will serve in the United States Navy, will serve as a backdrop to this somber occasion and contains artifacts of eight U.S. Navy ships including the second nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Seawolf (SSN 575), the submarine then LT Carter was training to serve on before he resigned his commission in the Navy due to the death of his father.
For media requests, to include live or virtual interviews with President & CEO, Vice Admiral John B. Nowell, Jr., USN (Ret.) please contact Emily Oh at eoh@navymemorial.org or 770-362-0123.
###
About US Navy Memorial
The US Navy Memorial is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to Honor, Recognize and Celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services, past, present and future; and to Inform the public about the criticality of their support for the sea services. The US Navy Memorial and Visitors Center is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, halfway between the White House and Capitol Hill.
Retired Vice Admiral John Nowell, Jr. serves as the President and CEO of the U.S. Navy Memorial. With a distinguished career of 38 years in the Navy, VADM Nowell had operational command at various levels, including command of a forward-deployed Strike Group in the Western Pacific, and he finished his service as the Navy’s 59th Chief of Naval Personnel.
###