Thousands of people queued for hours in the sweltering Arizona sun to pay their respects to Senator John McCain, who died last week at the age of 81.
Mourners filed past the flag-draped casket that his tearful wife, Cindy, had earlier lovingly pressed her face against.
She made touching gesture during a memorial service for the Vietnam war hero, who represented Arizona in government for decades.
Former military members in shorts and T-shirts stopped and saluted the closed casket flanked by National Guard members at the Arizona Capitol.
Families with small children also came by, and several people placed their hand over their heart or bowed, including Vietnamese-born residents who travelled from Southern California.
The private service held earlier on Wednesday marked the first appearance of McCain's family since the Republican senator died Saturday of brain cancer.
It also began two days of official mourning in Arizona before his body is taken to Washington for a viewing at the US Capitol, followed by burial at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
At the emotional private ceremony in Arizona, Govenor Doug Ducey remembered McCain as an internationally known figure and "Arizona's favourite adopted son" on what would have been his 82nd birthday.
"Imagining an Arizona without John McCain is like picturing Arizona without the Grand Canyon," Governor Ducey said.
Former Arizona senator Jon Kyl said: "I will miss him as a friend, and a strong force for America and the world."
By the time the ceremony ended, crowds had gathered for the public viewing of Mr McCain's closed casket, seeking shelter from Phoenix's summer heat under tents and carrying coolers filled with ice and water.
The line snaked down streets even as a continuous flow of people flowed past the casket. When government offices closed for the day 7,500 people had paid their respects, and more were expected.
Additional reporting by PA
