Let me introduce myself by saying I spent Saturday afternoon at our local No Kings rally (fabulous turnout) followed by sign waving with like-minded liberals on street corners around Chestertown. After that I decided to check in on the military parade in D.C., choosing CSPAN over the nattering sycophants on Fox.
To my surprise I rather enjoyed the parade, which I had been firmly against. It is, after all, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Continental Army which is no small deal. And the Army rarely gets the spotlight, the credit and recognition they deserve. Huff Post had written: “Estimated to cost upward of $45 million to taxpayers, the parade, which was a late addition to celebrations planned for the 250th anniversary of the Army, should give Trump the flashy militaristic display he has wanted since his first term. At the time, Pentagon officials shut down the idea because they thought tanks rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue would make the United States look “very Red Square.”
It seemed to me that the Army thwarted Trump’s grand ambitions. I enjoyed watching a military parade American style. This did not appear to be the display of awesome power that Trump wanted, and his dour face throughout the event seemed to reflect that. It recalled a storied history while presenting a restrained demonstration of modern power. (I loved the Robot Dogs)
Except when passing the presidential reviewing stand, the soldiers were very relaxed and engaged with the crowd. Most wore combat uniforms rather than dress or parade attire. No stiff faces or robotic stepping like you see in dictatorships. In fact, the drivers of the tanks were grinning and waving at the crowd, two of them were making heart signs with their fingers and some flashed peace signs. Wow! You’d never see such a thing in any other country’s military parade. Putin’s jaw must have been on the floor. The culprits would have been sent to Siberia, or worse. But these are American soldiers after all. Our guys — the ones who handed out Hershey Bars, gum and cigarettes while they were by-the-way saving our world for democracy in WW2.
The parade ended with the elite West Point and Citadel troops and only then did we see snazzy parade uniforms and precision marching. I felt the Army chose to celebrate their history their way and pretty much ignored Trump’s desires. It’s said the president requested the planes flying overhead, but any military parade would have had an aerial component.
I feared the Army band would be forced to play Happy Birthday but happily there was nothing so demeaning. In fact I heard no acknowledgment of the “other birthday” during or after the parade. They did have young country music singer Warren Zeider performing songs totally irrelevant to this patriotic event. His hits “Pretty Little Poison,” and “Guilty As Charged”. Whaaat? Maybe that was a tidbit they threw out for Trump. None of the big stars would allow their music to be used.
It’s a shame that this historic celebration was almost ruined by the wannabe King birthday boy. And that many people stayed away because of him. But the Army did itself proud in spite of the pressure. Mission accomplished. No Kings.
Lolli Sherry
Chestertown
Samuel Shoge says
I appreciate the author sharing this–their perspective was a refreshing take on the maddeningly partisan weekend. Liberal media relished in calling the event a disaster due to low turnout. Republican media called the event a triumph and a historic celebration. Lost in all of this was the primary point–celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army.
I’ll admit, I too fell for the trap of calling this event a travesty and associating it with the president’s birthday. HOWEVER, as the author points out–the army rarely gets the spotlight.
Think about it, no one complains about taxpayer money during Fleet Week when the Navy and Coast Guard showcase vessels at various ports around the country. No one complains about taxpayer money during air shows when the Air Force gets to put on a display.
I watched the parade (with aggressive fast forwarding) on Youtube and I must say, I agree with the author of this post, it was kinda cool…
And it wasn’t anything like the parades one sees in places like Russia and North Korea. The soldiers looked relaxed and, honestly, kinda excited to be there. Added bonus, no nuclear missiles or ballistic missiles were on display like in the aforementioned countries…
The segment where they showcased the “army of the future” was LAME. We went from big beefy tanks to guys walking around holding up drones. Sorry, just doesn’t hit the same 🤣
As with most things in life, multiple perspectives can be true at the same time. #NoKings AND #ThankYouUSArmy
Gren Whitman says
First, a soldier learns how to march.
Stand at attention, left-right-left-right, and dress those lines!
IMO, the Army (bless its heart) gave its CinC the proverbial bird last Saturday.
By eschewing dress uniforms, slouching (not marching) out of step, and with no military bands playing martial airs.
It was a doleful death march with no drums, no bugles, no trumpets.
Bravo, U.S. Army!
Bil Anderson says
I largely agree with most of what Lolli Sherry has written and express my thanks to her for what I perceive to be an unbiased review of the parade. I will offer a belief that the $45 million cost probably included a huge amount of sunk costs such as salaries for participants (soldiers) who were going to be paid in any event and other costs whether incurred by the city of the federal government. The incremental costs were likely not such a great number.
SAMUEL TOMLIN says
well, contrary to your considerations… I thought the parade was a complete bore… And I thought that Trump was a complete idiot.
I did not think the parade complemented the army in any regards.
I think we should’ve saved several million dollars… The occasion did not demand such contributions.
gretchen stroh says
Thanks for a fresh objective viewpoint Lolli!