Posted on 02/07/2018 6:34:25 AM PST by reaganaut1
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Defense is planning a military parade at the request of President Donald Trump, White House and Pentagon officials said Tuesday.
After observing the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris last year, Mr. Trump said he wanted to hold a similar parade on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, perhaps to celebrate the Fourth of July.
The French parade last July, which also marked the centennial of the U.S. entry into World War I, featured more than 6,000 service members, tanks and planes overhead in an elaborate display of military might. French President Emmanuel Macron invited Mr. Trump to watch the parade beside him.
“It was one of the greatest parades I’ve ever seen,” Mr. Trump said in September at the Lotte New York Palace hotel. “And to a large extent, because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July Fourth in Washington, down Pennsylvania Avenue. I don’t know. We’re going to have to try and top it.”
The Washington Post first reported the Mr. Trump had asked the Pentagon to arrange an event in the Bastille Day style. Pentagon officials said late Tuesday that plans were in their infancy.
On Wednesday, the chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joe Dunford, acknowledged the parade plans while traveling in Asia. “I’m aware of the president’s request and we are in the initial planning stages to meet the president’s direction,” he said during a stop in Bangkok.
The White House said the decision demonstrated Mr. Trump’s support for the military.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Why?
This is a great idea and long over due. GO Trump! Go USA!
This bothers me. This is the kind of thing that the USSR used to do and NoKo still does. It’s a propaganda stunt — and at a time when our military needs to be rebuilt (both materially and by replacing Obama-era sycophant top brass), good Pentagon procedures and proper spending would be a much better thing to do.
Because we take the good with the bad.
Always remember, we could have: "With all that being said, why am I not ahead by 50 points, you might ask...."
You folks disappoint me. I say do it! I’ll fly there to see it. Have a special formation for Vietnam Vets. All done in 2 hours. Precision. A message to the world. Let’s party!
Everybody loves a parade.
it will be a grand parade, a focal point of American patriotism and America’s military strength and deliver the message to the world that American does have a substantial armed forces.
However, the parade should not be held on July 4th but rather Flag Day, June 14th which also happens to be President Trump’s Birthday.
Free Republic is infested with globalist Free Traitors™. They don’t get nationalism because they are creeps.
I like the idea, we used to have Military parades till the PC crowd took over..besides look at all the excitement there would be if the homeless or Black Lives matter ran out in front of the Tanks...
Note that the DPRK, Indian, Russian parades, like the Wagah border farce, are parodies of of military power. What, we are going to piss away money to paint whitewalls and pinstripes on M-1 Abrams, and spray them with diesel, to make them shiny?
It's stupid.
A number of 1st World countries do something rather similar. You should see the Fleet Reviews of the UK and the Commonwealth.
“This is perhaps the one that France does that we should imitate.”
I wanted to join the Foreign Legion when I was in high school. But, I couldn’t afford a ticket to Paris and my parents asked, “What’s wrong with the Marine Corps?”
I say “do it,” too. One time show to HONOR our military, not Trump. Not showing off our prowess, but showing off our respect for guys (and gals) who for 8 long years were shoved to the wilderness, given fatally flawed Rules of Engagement, and who obeyed in silence, sometimes with their lives.
I think Trump the showman, can make an event we all can take pride in and will withstand the treasonous press and dimorat harping.
That’s because they prefer gay pride parades.
You’re stupid. Creep. I guess you’d prefer a Gay Pride parade.
I completely agree. With rare exceptions big military parades are not a part of our country’s cultural history. Parades celebrating the end of major wars have been an exception, but otherwise this is the sort of thing typically associated with despots. And it is bad optics, which means it is also bad politics.
Flying tanks? Rewrite!
Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll surround the Capitol building.
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