Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, left, salutes Annie Glenn, widow of John Glenn, during the graveside service for Glenn Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

WASHINGTON — The flag-draped casket of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, was covered in plastic to protect it from a steady rain as it was carried on a horse-drawn caisson to his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery. Later, his widow, Annie, gave a kiss on the cheek to the Marine who presented her with the folded-up flag.

Glenn, who died Dec. 8 at age 95, was laid to rest Thursday in a private burial at Arlington attended by relatives and invited guests. His family scheduled the service for what would have been John and Annie Glenn’s 74th wedding anniversary.

The former fighter pilot, history-making astronaut and longtime Democratic U.S. senator from Ohio had already been remembered in his home state, with a procession through the heart of downtown Columbus and a memorial service that drew roughly 2,500 people, including then-Vice President Joe Biden.

Thousands of mourners also visited his casket as it lay in repose at the Ohio Statehouse.