Posted on 02/14/2018 2:26:40 AM PST by Crucial
A lot of people have misgivings about a military parade. They’re idiots. Why shouldn’t our military show its pride? Why shouldn’t America exhibit its strength and skill? Some Americans are acting like our citizen army is going to goose step down Main Street. They’re idiots.
What’s the message here? We’re behind you 100% until you march down the street, then you’re unworthy of our attention. I think once people see our great military en force, they’ll change their mind.
Seems we already have a traditional National Veteran’s Day Parade.
http://nationalveteransday.org/
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. Armistice Day was set aside to honor veterans of World War I. But after World War II required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen in the nation’s history, a World War II veteran from Birmingham named Raymond Weeks had an idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans. In 1947 he led a delegation to Washington, D.C. to urge then-Army Chief of Staff General Dwight Eisenhower to create a national holiday that honored all veterans. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed legislation establishing November 11th as Veterans Day. President Reagan honored Weeks as the driving force for the national holiday with the Presidential Citizenship Medal in 1982 at the White House. Weeks led the first National Veterans Day Parade in 1947 in Alabama, and he continued the tradition until his passing in 1985.
David, did you ever serve in the military? Have you ever marched in a long parade in uniform, possibly carrying gear and on a hot day? Just curious.
Many people in this country hate the military and America itself even more.
Not surprising the Left thinks this is a bad idea.
President Trump's suggestion that we should have a military parade had its intended consequence however.
What it has done is expose these enemies of the country as the losers they are.
Trump winning again.
This parade is stupid. There is no reason for it. It’s not part of American culture to have military parades for no reason. Trump got this idea from the parade in Moscow.
The kind of conservative who this idea appeals to is the kind of conservatives who is weak on policy issues. We want action on policy, not symbolic stunts that accomplish nothing.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
I do not object to parades to honor our military but yes, a French or NK or Soviet style parade showing off our military might and our tanks, missiles and other armaments going down Pennsylvania Avenue? No thanks. We don’t need to and IMO should not do that, at least not as some other countries do.
The thing about the local Veterans Day and Memorial Day parades is that it isn’t just, and often isn’t current military members marching, but veterans orgs and auxiliaries, National Guard, and local civic groups and bands - all marching to honor our military, not our military blowing their own horns as some might interpret as being.
Speaking of Armed Forces Day, back in 2005 I went on a long weekend which just happened to be on Armed Forces Day weekend with my then boyfriend to DC. He worked at Aberdeen Proving Grounds as a civilian in procurement and tried to use some contacts he had to get us a visit to the WH but wasn’t able. But we did go to Arlington National Cemetery and to the Vietnam and WWII Memorials. Very moving.
On the last day we were there, we were going to go to the Smithsonian museums but on the Mall was an Armed Forces Day celebration with just about every branch represented, and with all sorts of gear (tanks, helicopters, weaponry and tech displayed) and it was great fun, not only for us but it seemed also for the military guys and gals who enjoyed interacting with and talking with us, answering questions.
I climbed into an Apache helicopter and sat in the pilot’s seat and was surprised how tight it was inside and seeing all the controls, a HMMWV, and I held a (obviously unarmed) hand held rocket launcher and some guns and saw up close lots of other cool stuff including tech to detect bioweapons and a display/mockup of a military field hospital and got to talk with a Marine Corps colonel who was field surgeon. And of course my boyfriend, without divulging anything that would break his security clearance was excited to talk to some of the military guys on the some of the gear for which he was procuring, asking them how they liked or didn’t like them, it was like a field trip for him.
I think I got a lot more out of that experience as far as learning what our guys and gals in the military do and the hardware and tools they use than I would have gotten from watching a parade. Just my POV.
For the same reason as air shows. As a tax paying citizen, I should be able to see what my dollars are paying for. The military spending is one of the big chunks of the anneal budget, and it needs to be spent on training and hardware, which are both on display during a military march.
Usually, military parades are staged for dictators. This parade will be held for the American people and the Constitution. I think I would like that show of loyalty and commitment.
See, I feel like a parade would honor them and America. And as to the Vets who don’t like it, we don’t have to drag it on for hours.
And the parade would honor the troops themselves. There can definitely be an emphasis on their accomplishments and history.
“I’ll tell you how we felt. Parades suck. No thanks. I just retired...”
Concur
Funny response. I’m a dick? Because I don’t like wasting time standing in formation? Ok man. The irony about the service, if you’re in a combat arms branch is that the best part comes from the worst part. When I was in Iraq we were focused 100% on the mission. No bullshit. No painting rocks, no parades, very few inspections, etc. I logged over 150 hours of combat time as a UH-60 pilot. We worked our ass off but stayed focused. It made the time go by faster. I didn’t give my soldiers any “make work” assignments.
In garrison, where you’re “safe”, it was a different story. Being concerned about how your power point slides looked, how you seated VIPs for a change of command, how well you did on some pointless inspection...and yes, Parade rehearsals. No thanks. To each his own. But thanks for the insults.
I had a great experience in the military. I just preferred real work and real missions. I had plenty. Shining boots, dressing up for parades, etc. wasn’t my favorite. Hours that could have been better spent training. More flight time, more range time, etc. I’ll take a soldier with a wrinkled uniform who qualifies expert on his assigned weapon.
It is possible to do both.
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