“I suddenly found myself worrying about how long the marchers had marched in the older hot and scratchy uniforms and hard, unyielding boots
I really hope there aren’t a lot of blisters being tended to today.”
I believe your rudeness outdoes your point.
Soldiers are strong and resilient, but the reason that uniforms change and boots are redefined is that officers want their soldiers in the best condition and that means the older uniforms and boots were not the most conducive to soldier health. If this parade valued authenticity, then we have a great research opportunity to learn just how tough our soldiers of the Revolution and Civil War had it.