WESTMONT, Pa. — Former President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Cabinet officials and the nation’s top military leaders will be among the mourners Tuesday as Rep. John P. Murtha is laid to rest.

Gov. Ed Rendell and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel are also scheduled to attend the Johnstown funeral, while Sen. Bob Casey and Mr. Murtha’s House colleagues from the Keystone State will serve as honorary pallbearers for the man who served in the House longer than any other Pennsylvanian.

A smattering of dignitaries joined the line that snaked around and through the Frank Duca Funeral Home as Mr. Murtha’s visitation opened on a hilltop above his beloved Johnstown. But the roughly 1,200 mourners who braved the cold appeared to be dominated by his Cambria County neighbors and ordinary constituents of the 12th District.

For Ms. Pelosi, who will lead a bipartisan delegation from Congress, the appearance will be more than official. Mr. Murtha was a close colleague and a mentor whose support helped pave the way for her ascent as the nation’s first female speaker of the House.

Mr. Clinton was another close political ally. During the state’s 2008 presidential primary, he appeared with Mr. Murtha at several stops in southwestern Pennsylvania as they campaigned for former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s bid for the Democratic nomination.

The military Mr. Murtha championed will also be represented at the highest levels, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The nation’s most senior military officers will join him. The Joint Chiefs of Staff, the leaders of each branch of the armed services, are expected in the pews of Johnstown’s Westmont Presbyterian Church. Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs, also scheduled to attend, was among the senior officials who sent messages to the congressman’s family lauding his role in supporting the armed services. In a message posted among many tributes on Murtha.org, he said, “That we remain the greatest military in the history of world is testament in no small part to his vigilance and stewardship.”

Read more in the Post-Gazette

Tags: John Murtha

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