[ cheers and applause ] through our tears let us know the bookletings of knowing and love, youa gre, a great man. the best father a son or daughter could have. >> from one son to a father, one president to another -- >> a diplomat of unmatched skill. a commander in chief of formidable accomplishment. a gentleman who executed the duties of his office with dignity and honor. >> our 41st president honored today in washington by friends, family, all five living presidents together in tribute. our talks through the years with a president to be -- >> by the time this interview is aired, you will be president of the united states. >> a political patriarch.

>> would you have wished for a dynasty if you could have chosen? >> a family man cherishing his last years. >> i am an optimist about life, about everything that lies ahead. >> "nightline" celebrating george h.w. bush will be right back.

♪ ♪ connecting people... ...uniting the world. ♪♪ this special edition of "nightline," celebrating george

h.w. bush, continues. >> good evening. in washington, a day of ceremony, tears, laughter, and remembrance. with family, friends, and american leaders gathering to celebrate the life of president george h.w. bush. telling stories of his bravery and loyalty, his love of country and family, capped off by a tearful tribute from his eldest son, now the family's elder statesman. >> when the history books are written, they will say that george h.w. bush was a great president of the united states. a diplomat of unmatched skill. a commander in chief of formidable accomplishment. a gentleman who executed the duties of his office with dignity and honor. >> reporter: dignity and honor. a lasting legacy for the nation's 41st president.

george herbert walker bush back in texas tonight for a final farewell. this morning, hundreds gathered in washington, d.c. for a state funeral at the national cathedral, a ceremony replete with moments of grace and humor. much like the man it honored. celebrating a life lived in service to our nation. his son, former president george w. bush, giving the final eulogy. >> george w. bush had a very tough job. he had to be presidential and the son. and that's not easy. >> in his inaugural address, the 41st president of the united states said this. we cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account -- >> we must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend -- >> a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood, and town better than he found it. >> george w. bush was the first former president ever to eulogize a former president who

was his father in this fashion, and he rose to the occasion. a president who's never been known for soaring orator hity hy lot of important points that spoke to george h.w. bush as a president, more importantly as a person. >> reporter: in the front row all the living presidents and first ladies brought together in a moment of unity. perhaps president bush's final act of service to this country. >> this was a rare meeting of the presidents' club. the first time all the living presidents were in one place since the inauguration of president trump himself. in some ways it was a familiar setting. a state funeral is the appropriate place for these presidents to gather together, but in other ways it was about as uncomfortable a setting as possible because it was all happening in donald trump's washington. >> reporter: throughout the ceremony today, pockets of lightness. >> to us, he was close to perfect. but not totally perfect. his short game was lousy. he wasn't exactly fred astaire on the dance floor.

>> on the primary campaign trail in new hampshire once, he grabbed the hand of a department store mannequin, asking for votes. when he realized his mistake, he said, "never know, got to ask." >> reporter: a window into some of the more human and private moments of this life-long public servant. >> in his 90s, he took great delight when his closest pal, james a. baker, smuggled a bottle of grey goose vodka into his hospital room. apparently it paired well with the steak baker had delivered from morton's. >> reporter: in the crowd this not so subtle exchange between the 43rd president and the former first lady michelle obama. >> at john mccain's funeral, george w. bush was sitting near michelle obama and passed her a mint. and that became, you know, something that the twitterverse glommed on to.

so today they gave her a mint. >> reporter: also on display, moments of sorrow and heartache. >> your decency, sincerity, and kind soul will stay with us forever. through our tears let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you. a great and noble man. the best father a son or daughter could have. >> it's always a hope at a time like this when we can think about what it means to be a true public servant. what it means to put country high on your list. it's always a hope that people will think about that and go on to be better citizens. ♪ >> reporter: on monday, president bush, america's longest living president, was flown from houston to washington, d.c. on air force one via special air mission 41. a tribute to his service as a navy fighter pilot.

his trusty service dog, sully, followed him along on his journey, waiting for the president on the tarmac. thousands paying their respects in the u.s. capitol rotunda, including the current president and first lady. and this moment. the former senator, bob dole, lifted out of his wheelchair for a final salute. >> the choreography of that final journey to washington, d.c. and then back home to texas, i think it's fitting with the way george h.w. bush understood himself. he was a yankee through and through. a new englander. but it was his adopted home state of texas that came to define him. >> reporter: george h.w. bush was born june 12th, 1924, in milton, massachusetts. he was the son of a banker who later became a politician. he was 17 when he met the love of his life, barbara pierce, at a christmas dance. they would become a love story 73 years strong, the longest marriage in presidential

history. >> is he still the handsomest man you've ever seen? >> yes. uh-huh, uh-huh. my eyesight's getting bad. >> god. golly. >> reporter: on his 18th birthday, the young george bush enlisted in world war ii, becoming the youngest pilot in the u.s. navy. two years in, he was shot down over the pacific. >> i knew if i wasn't rescued, i would be captured. and it was -- it was a harrowing experience. >> reporter: he was rescued and made it home to barbara. he went on to yale where he was captain and first baseman of the baseball team. he and barbara had six children. george, jeb, marvin, and neil. and two daughters, dorothy and robin, who died of leukemia at the age of 3. >> he was very close. >> i was very close to her. >> she adored him. >> what was it that pulled you back up on your feet afterwards? >> he was very strong then.

he was wonderful. >> reporter: they had moved the family to texas, where he ran a successful oil business before he entered politics. >> george bush, the happy family man, is now george bush, republican candidate for the united states senate. >> reporter: in 1980, he ran for president for the first time. >> ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the united states, george bush! >> reporter: ronald reagan went on to win the nomination and the presidency. bush served eight years as his vice president. and then he ran for president again and won as a moderate. >> i, george herbert walker bush, do solemnly swear -- >> reporter: when saddam hussein invited kuwait, it was president george h.w. bush who pulled together a coalition of allies to launch "operation desert storm." >> kuwait is liberated. iraq's army is defeated. our military objectives are met. >> reporter: but with the economy at home faltering, a promise he had made four years

earlier came back to haunt him in the 1992 presidential race. >> read my lips. no new taxes. >> reporter: he lost that bid to bill clinton. >> just had a great feeling of letting down a lot of people. a lot of people that worked for me. you have this ghastly feeling you let them down. then you get over it and you go on with your life. >> reporter: before leaving office, he penned a letter for his successor, who sat down with abc news and read a portion of it. >> i wish you great happiness here. there will be tough times made even more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair. i'm not a very good one to give advice, but just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course. you will be our president when you read this note. i wish you well. i wish your family well. your success is our country's success. that was george bush.

i thought he was trying to be a citizen in the highest sense of the word. it was profoundly moving to me pers personally. >> reporter: bush later forged a bond with the man who beat him. together he and clinton raised money for the victims of the indian ocean tsunami, and back here at home, hurricane katrina. >> i think it sent a good sign across the country that you don't have -- because you run against somebody, it doesn't make you an enemy. >> reporter: earlier this year, barbara bush passed away. her husband by her side. >> after mom died, dad was strong. but all he really wanted to do was hold mom's hand again. >> reporter: president bush spent his last summer in kennebunkport, maine, surrounded by family. in october attending the wedding of his granddaughter, barbara bush. >> family means everything to me. i don't know where i'd be in life if i wasn't blessed with a lot of kids and grandkids and family. >> reporter: with five surviving children, 17 grandchildren, and eight grade grandchildren, perhaps the greatest legacy of this american president is

family. >> last friday when i was told he had minutes to live, i called him. the guy who answered the phone said, i think he can hear you, but he hadn't said anything for most of the day. i said, dad, i love you, and you've been a wonderful father. and the last words he would ever say on earth were,. >> jimmy: -- "i love you too." next our candid conversations with george h.w. bush through the years. ♪ ♪

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(music throughout) this special edition of "nightline" continues.

>> over the years, abc news has had the privilege of sitting down with president bush along with his wife, barbara, speaking to him about a changing world, his bid for a second term, and what meant more than anything to him. his family. tonight we take a look back at the 41st president of the united states in his own words. >> mr. bush, by the time this interview is aired, you will be president of the united states. as i say it what do you feel? has it sunk in yet? >> it has. it doesn't have the dramatic feeling i thought it might have. but i am -- i want to go and try to do my best. >> would you describe george bush for us? >> very warm. very wise. very caring. i would put faith as a very important part of george's life. family. and friends.

>> mr. president, whats visi ts country? >> vision is partially achieved. my passion is about a world at peace. i think because of what we've been able to do with the soviet union and now russia, and because of what we were able to do in "desert storm," world peace is better enhanced, better secured, you might say. now my vision is to see an educated country, a country that wins the battle against crime and drugs, that is fighting every american family. >> what's the biggest misconception about george bush? >> well, first of all, i can think of 10 misconceptions. he's considerably taller than people think he is. people say to us, oh, you're so much taller than we thought. he's full of energy. he's the most decent, honest person.

>> wow. >> i shouldn't say that in front of him, should i? and very funny. not just funny-looking. i mean, very funny. >> how does it feel sitting here now and thinking of a life spent in government and politics? >> you know, people always ask the question a little differently, what's it feel like going from being president one day to out of it? and it's not difficult at all. >> you don't think he's sitting home. he went to 24 foreign countries last year, for starters. >> you can do things that you want to do, stay in touch with the things you want to. stay out of politics, out of advising our sons. >> but you really can stay out of giving advice? >> uh-huh. >> yeah. >> well, some of us can't. >> no, we talk regularly, george and jeb and i, that i would not gratuitously offer advice. i know whatand they got to do t thing. both of them are. both of them have their own

program. one for florida, one for texas. for george, maybe more. so they know what i've tried to do and where i've succeeded and where i've failed. there would be nothing worse than a father who got defeated running for his second term for president trying to make something, be something through his son. i shouldn't be hovering, trying to be something more. we've done it. we're letting his torians decide the good and the bad. >> so when you look out of this scene, what do you see? >> i see the power of the sea. i see the wonders of the sea. i see my boat. i love going in a boat. i just feel totally relaxed here in maine by the coast. >> is it a good time? >> in life? yeah. it is a good time. and barbara makes a lot of that for us. and the family, family means everything to me. >> is there something you always want to make sure that you say to them, make sure that they know? even that you now have great

grandchildren. >> well, just that we love them. i think they know that. a little great granddaughter here on the point right now. a beautiful little girl. and i have a little worry that i won't be around to see her grow much older. but it's not a fearsome thing, it's not a worry in the sense of feeling cheated out of something. i don't know where i'd be in life if i wasn't blessed with a lot of kids and grandkids and family, including, of course, barbara. i mean, very lucky. and friendship. family and friends. >> even though you grew up in a very comfortable life, there was always a sense of responsibility to the rest of the world. >> well, there should be. we've been given a lot of material things. we've been very blessed when you look around compared to the life of others, how lucky we've been. you must feel responsibility to

others. you must believe in serving others. i think that's a fundamental tenet of my life. >> you've always been an optimist, no matter what. >> that's right. you've got to continue to be. and i am an optimist about life, about everything that lies ahead. i do think there's an afterlife. i do think that you go to heaven, there is a heaven. i don't fear it. when i was a little guy, i feared death. i'd worry about it, be scared. not anymore. >> and we will be right back. this winter, a hero will fight... superhero: [coughs] his cold. what do ya think? sidekick material? eh? superhero: i seriously can't deal with you today. mucinex cold & flu all-in-one. fights...

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president george h.w. bush is back in texas tonight, his adopted home state. a church service will be held tomorrow. after that his casket will travel by train to college station where he will be buried nearby at his presidential

library right next to his wife, barbara, and their young daughter, robin. a fitting final resting place for a man who told us he talked family above all else. we'll have live comp of his church and burial service tomorrow on abc. thank you for watching "nightline" tonight. good night. sfx: stair creak sfx: clink sfx: deep breath sfx: grunt sfx: tinny headphone music sfx: feet shuffling sfx: slice sfx: gasp sfx: inhale. exhale. sfx: lights scraping on roof sfx: metallic scrape sfx: grunt

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