NMI joins ‘national day of mourning’

Acting governor Victor B. Hocog signed a proclamation yesterday declaring Dec. 5, Wednesday, as a National Day of Mourning to honor the lifelong service and memory of former President George H.W. Bush.

The 41st President of the United States died last Friday, Nov. 30, in Houston, Texas. He was 94.

In the proclamation, Hocog said the entire nation, along with the CNMI and the other territories, lost a distinguished leader in Bush’s passing.

The proclamation is in line with the Executive Order that President Donald Trump had signed, declared Dec. 5 as a National Day of Mourning and directing all federal departments and agencies to be closed on that day. Flags on public buildings are flying at half-staff for 30 days.

Hocog is encouraging everyone in the Commonwealth to take a moment and remember the former U.S. President in their homes, businesses, public buildings, schools, or places of worship.

“It is only fitting to join the rest of the country to publicly set aside a day of mourning so that all Americans can honor the life and memory of [former President] Bush,” said Hocog, who also ordered all non-critical personnel of the CNMI government to attend the observances.

Commonwealth departments and offices shall be closed today, with the exception of schools, hospital, and other agencies that provided critical public services.

The late governor Pedro P. Tenorio met Bush when he visited Saipan with other Micronesian leaders in 1985 when he was still the Vice President during the term of former President Ronald Reagan.

After losing to Bill Clinton in 1992, Bush became involved in various humanitarian projects with other former presidents where he urged bipartisan unity on critical issues that faced the country.

His political career began when he was elected to the U.S. Congress representing Texas’ 7th District where he served from 1967 to 1971. He was appointed by then-President Richard Nixon to be the 10th U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Bush became the Republican National Committee chair in 1973 and the chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to China for one year. Former President Gerald Ford then appointed him as the 11th director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Bush was chosen by Reagan as his running mate during the 1980 presidential campaign where they served for two terms. He succeeded Reagan when he defeated then-Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis in the 1989 elections.

During his presidency, Bush witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, ending the decades-old Cold War and the reunification of Germany. It was also during his term when the Gulf War broke out, with the U.S. leading a 35-nation coalition to end Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

The remains of the 41st president took their place in the Capitol rotunda starting Monday for three days of mourning. He will lie in state in the Capitol for public visitation through Wednesday. An invitation-only funeral service is set for Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral.

After services in Washington, Bush will be returned to Houston to lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church before burial Thursday at his family plot on the library grounds. His final resting place will be alongside Barbara Bush, his wife of 73 years who died in April, and Robin Bush, the daughter they lost to leukemia in 1953 at age 3. (With AP)