Fabula
Object
Object

Military Funeral Hearse (Arlington Casket Transport)

A long, black, polished funeral coach used to carry a flag-draped casket to Arlington: lacquered bodywork, chrome trim, tinted windows and a rear compartment lined in dark velvet with rollers and restraints for a coffin. Staffed by solemn attendants, the vehicle arrives with measured formality; characters step around it with hushed respect as the honor guard removes the casket for ceremonial rites, the hearse serving as the transit point between private loss and public ritual.
3 appearances

Purpose

To transport the deceased's casket to the funeral site and provide a dignified, secure means of conveying the coffin for ceremonial transfer.

Significance

The hearse anchors the episode's moral turn—physically carrying the veteran from anonymity into official recognition. Its arrival and the subsequent transfer to the honor guard convert Toby's private act of conscience into an institutional gesture of dignity, making the vehicle a tangible locus of memory, responsibility, and political consequence.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments
S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo
No PR, Yes Dignity: Bartlet Denies a Pitch and Endorses an Honor Guard

The military funeral hearse appears in the montage carrying the flag-draped casket to Arlington, functioning as the transport that makes the administration's ceremonial commitment visible and irreversible.

Before: En route to Arlington, prepared to receive and transport the casket.
After: Arrived at Arlington and unloaded the casket for the burial ceremony; remains as the logistical vehicle that completed the transfer.
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S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo
An Honor in the Margins

The military funeral hearse arrives at Arlington to transport and display the flag-draped casket; it functions as the public conveyance that moves the private death into formal ritual space for institutional commemoration.

Before: En route to Arlington carrying the casket; polished and ceremonial.
After: Parked and unloaded at the gravesite; its role complete once the casket is carried to the grave by the honor guard.
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S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo
The Folded Flag — Honor for the Unseen

The military funeral hearse conveys the flag-draped casket to Arlington, visually marking the transition from anonymous death to state-sanctioned remembrance and serving as the visible vehicle of institutional honor.

Before: Arrives at Arlington to transport the casket; loaded with the coffin and draped flag.
After: Parks while the honor guard conducts the rites; after ceremonies, it will carry the casket away for burial.
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