Dear President Bush: "Return with Honor" should include parades on Pennslyvania Ave and Broadway

In calm, yet forceful statements of his administration's goals in Iraq, President Bush has correctly rejected all calls for a timetable to withdraw American troops from Iraq. Instead, he has reiterated that when the mission has been completed, the troops will begin to come home "with the honor they have earned." Absolutely. But, last night, as I was watching a rebroadcast of the last speech, I was thinking about what that phase might, and should mean. And at the very least, it should include a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, and a tickertape parade in NYC, up Broadway, the "Canyon of Heroes."

Remember the triumphant returns of the troops from WW II, the massed parades? I was born after that, yet still thrill to the old clips. If you talk to any WW II veterans, they will tell you that their "Victory Parades" are still key memories for them.

Yes, today, the military is viewed with love and respect by the great majority of Americans, a far cry from the Vietnam era.

As units return from Iraq and Afghanistan, they are greeted, and embraced by their home town folks. These expression of joy, love, and a "job well done" are reported in the local media, but mostly totally ignored by the MSM. Well, it's time to change all that.

If events allow, we can expect that some time in 2006, we will see a significant drawn-down in the troop strength in Iraq. I think that in the fall of 2006, maybe mid-October, would be a wonderful time to celebrate the magnificent courage, and accomplishments, of our service men and women.

Obviously, we can't proclaim "Victory"..it's far to un-PC to do these days...but why not a "Military Appreciation Day."

It would be a Friday in mid October, when the weather will still be good. Two parades...one in NYC, the other in Washington, staggered by a few hours to allow continuous coverage by the media.

One parade would be anchored by a Marine division that took Bagdad, the other by an Army division. Which units chosen would depend on the rotation schedule. Smaller components of other units would represent them.

The tank batallion that ran the storied "Thunder Run" into Bagdad could lead one parade. Maybe Tommy Franks would be one parade Grand Marshall. We could have multiple USAF flyovers of both parades.

And both could end with some sort of ceremony at the Pentagon and WTC sites..

OK. That's my idea. I thought I'd toss it out for your comments and suggestions.

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