It has nothing to do with being _ussies or wimps or pantywaists. It has to do with not being a hypocrite. Anything .. repeat, anything .. that takes time away from training or money away from equipment necessary for warfighting or training is wasted. And there isn't enough money or time to waste.
You talk about "a couple of hours". You were in the military. You know very well that getting something like this together is more than "a couple of hours". The higher echelon at the Pentagon will take a couple of months to get the mission order together. Then it will filter down through the chain of command, each level taking days or weeks to add their man-hours to fleshing out the order. Then it will get down to the units and they will spend weeks/months training. You know that as well as anyone. Wasted time and money.
Then, as we get closer to the day of the parade, money will be spent to move these troops, house them, feed them in locations that weren't designed to support them. They will be away from home and family .. again, for nothing that meets their mission requirements for training or combat missions .. and, again, you know as well as I, there will be wrenches thrown in the cogs of the parade machine. "Oh, the mess supplies and preparation areas didn't arrive on time" or "By golly, they all need new uniforms so that the colors within the formations all match" or "Son of a gun, I thought we had the billeting all worked out, but I guess these guys can lay on gym floors or surplus cots in a convention center, with no showering areas and minimal latrine facilities".
But, hey, they're getting paid, aren't they? So, for all of this money that could be used for training and equipment, and all of this time that soldiers who have just returned from deployment could be with their families or soldiers who could be using the time to prepare and training for deployment in support of the mission, will just have to grin and bear it.
What a hypocrite you are. Time away from training and money used not for the mission is as badly spent for an ill-conceived parade as it is for time spent in a diversity- or transgender appreciation lecture.
These soldiers honor their country every day that they put on the uniform. They are not required not expected to honor their President. Obey, yes ... honor, no. I didn't honor Carter or Slick Willie when they were President, so I'm not hypocritical enough to believe that they should honor President Trump, although most of them support him.
I am around active duty soldiers all day, every day. I work on post. I live and shop is the same area that they do. These are soldiers of III Corps and 1st Cav Division, of 3rd Cavalry and the Fort Hood Garrison. I don't believe any of them would give up family time or training time for ANY president.
Give me a break, this is a political move and brilliant. This plays well in Peoria. Just put up with it. It is worth it.