The New D.C. Parade: Relics of the First Two-Year War and Their Implications for American History and Politics
Trump blamed the cancellation on D.C., accusing the local government of overcharging the federal government to have the parade in the city. $13 million was estimated by the D.C. Mayor at the time.
Since the parade was announced, some Democratic lawmakers have criticized it as a vanity project and a misuse of funds. Critics are uncertain about the military might.
Despite war victories and presidential inaugurations, big military parades have not been a part of American tradition.
Trump is expected to observe the day’s events from the sidelines, but at one point, the president is scheduled to possibly receive a folded American flag. It’s normally presented to families of the fallen at military funerals.
In a few days, the nation’s capital will host its largest military parade in decades — filled with thousands of marching soldiers, rows of tanks, parachute jumps and flyovers.
The Army has been preparing a celebration for over a year, but the idea of a parade came into the picture more recently. Since his first term, the president has wanted a large-scale military parade, although it is not officially linked to his birthday.
Notably, when the Army turned 200-years-old in 1975, there was also no grand parade given that the country was still grappling with the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
The Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade: The Case for the Greatest Weapons, Military Parades and Nucleotide Weapons
Last month, in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump said he stands by the cost of the military display, describing it as “peanuts compared to the value of doing it.”
“We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we’re going to celebrate it,” he added.
In addition to troops, the parade will include 50 aircraft, 150 vehicles, 34 horses, two mules and one canine. The Blue Heeler named Doc Holliday is a member of the 1st Cavalry Division Horse cavalry at Fort Cavazos, Texas.
According to Peter Mansoor, a professor of American military history at Ohio State University, animals have played an important role throughout various conflicts. Dogs have helped sniff out explosive devices. Units in mountainous terrain have received an assortment of weapons.
Source: By the numbers: A look at the Army’s 250th anniversary parade on Trump’s birthday
The Army’s 250th anniversary parade on Trump’s birthday: A look at the army’s parade-parachute-team-strategy
To close out the parade, the Army’s Golden Knights demonstration parachute team, based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, is expected to perform a jump, member station WUNC reported.
“We have a lot of military might, and it was lovely to see, that’s what we had,” Trump said in 2017. Different wars and different uniforms were represented by representatives. It was very well done.
Presidential historian Michael Beschloss previously told NPR that in the 1950s, some White House officials suggested to President Dwight D. Eisenhower to hold a military parade to match the Soviet Union — but he declined.
“Eisenhower agreed that we are the pre-eminent power on Earth,” Beschloss said. “For us to try to imitate what the Soviets are doing in Red Square would make us look weak.”
Some projected the overall price tag could climb up to $92 million, NPR reported at the time, though then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis disputed that figure.
The note on the website said that No Kings chose not to hold a rally in D.C. Instead, the major flagship march will take place in Philadelphia “to draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington,” organizers said.
The group was behind a series of nationwide protests on Presidents Day and April to push back against some of Trump’s policies and promises.
He told reporters from the Oval Office that the protesters would be met with force. “And I haven’t even heard about a protest, but you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force.”
Source: By the numbers: A look at the Army’s 250th anniversary parade on Trump’s birthday
Activated Marines in the Decline of the Vietnam War: A “Past-and-Trusted” Demonstration of the Independence of the United States
A crowd of more than 200,000 watched troops march in the streets. The street lights were taken down to make it easier for tanks to pass.
“There was a fairly heated debate within George H.W. Bush’s administration as to whether it was appropriate,” Joshua Zeitz, a historian and contributing editor for Politico, told NPR’s Consider This earlier this month.
Bush was involved in the parade in order to help the Americans get over their negative views of the military in the aftermath of the Vietnam war, according to Zeitz.
“We respect, and will defend, the right to peacefully protest, but we will not tolerate violence or lawlessness in our state,” Kehoe said in a statement earlier this week. “If help is needed to support local law enforcement in protecting our citizens and communities, the state of Missouri is taking a proactive approach.”
Texas’ governor ordered the deployment of the National Guard to Austin and San Antonio. And in Missouri, Gov. Mike Kehoe activated that state’s National Guard as a “precautionary measure.”
Marines are expected to protect federal buildings, such as the Wilshire Federal Building, and those inside, they will be equipped with shields and batons, among other crowd control gear, but will not have arresting powers.
The events come in the wake of the President activating the California National Guard against Governor Newsom’s and LA Mayor Bass’s wishes, as well as sending Marines to Los Angeles. The first group of 700 Marines arrived on Friday.
Protests in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York flared up during the euphorbically violent March 11th protests
Protests have generally been peaceful, but some protesters have clashed with law enforcement, set cars ablaze, and vandalized buildings with graffiti. Police have arrested dozens of people across the country.
Demonstrations across the country flared up this week, including in Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. Protests have been taking place in Los Angeles this week as a result of the administration ramping up immigration enforcement.