President Jimmy Carter, the nation’s 39th chief executive and the first U.S. Naval Academy graduate to serve in the Oval Office, began his final journey with a procession that intertwined the small-town rhythms of Plains, Georgia, and American military traditions. His life exemplified the Naval Academy motto of “not for self, but for country.” The local reaction along the funeral route displayed deep reverence for Carter, who never forgot his roots despite rising to the highest office in the land.
Carter’s early years in the Navy shaped his public life, teaching him self-control, leadership, and a reverence for truth. Graduating in the top 10% of his class, Carter served aboard experimental gunnery ships before transitioning to the submarine force and working on nuclear propulsion with Admiral Rickover. Carter’s legacy of service continued into his political career, where he became the only Annapolis graduate to occupy the White House.
A carefully choreographed tribute at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta honored the former president’s military service, with a 21-gun salute and a funeral procession tracing his inaugural parade route. Carter’s journey will end in Plains, where he will be buried next to his wife, Rosalynn. The ceremony reflects Carter’s lifelong devotion to his country, forged in the halls of the Naval Academy and tested on submarines.
