First of all, logistically, it would be extremely difficult and expensive. Because it is not something we do frequently -- as do Russia, North Korea and some other autocratic countries, and as France does on its annual Bastille Day, with Trump as invited guest this year -- the heavy equipment like tanks and big gun carriers would have to be transported over long distances to Washington. That's extremely expensive -- for example, a tank gets about one mile per gallon of gasoline. And you can't exactly drive them down the interstate anyway -- their tracks destroy ordinary asphalt pavement, which will have to be repaired along the parade route.
Except for small local celebrations, the last big military parade held was 30 years ago to commemorate the end of the First Gulf War when George H.W. Bush was president. Before that, it was the celebration of the end of World War II in 1945, 63 years ago.
Second, except for relatively small numbers of troops regularly assigned for ceremonial duties connected with Arlington Cemetery, e.g., our troops are not kept in top marching form. They have much more important things to master and keep skilled at. So it would take a week of practice, for the many thousands of marching troops Trump wants, to drop everything and prepare for the parade. If they used only the crack special duty troops, it would be laughably small.
Imagine the ridicule the would follow if we put on a parade that flopped, or even showed a smidgen less than the precision with which the North Korean high-stepping soldiers march? A veteran said: "For something like this that's going to be on television . . . worldwide . . . all it takes is one person screwing up and somebody takes a picture . . . that's all that anyone remembers." Trump would not be happy.
In general, those current and former service people who responded to HuffPost's query "thought it was a pretty dumb idea -- and that it would be much harder to pull off than the commander-in-chief might imagine."
Marching is not much a part of what soldiers do these days, and it is not a large part of their training. One officer said, "If I had to choose between getting my soldiers more time on the range [practicing] shooting straight, I would . . . choose that training that . . . better prepared for the mission and better able to survive."
Another former Naval veteran said, "Personally, I think we'd look terrible." He said he hadn't marched since boot camp." Others commented about having to take away vacation time from those just rotating back from the Middle East and sending them to Washington to practice marching. How's that going to go over?
Rotations and training schedules are planned years in advance -- all that would be disrupted. The practice time would upend all that.
And then the question -- reflected in that response in the headline -- "What's the point?" Who is this for? The cover story is "to honor our service members." But when HuffPost asked veterans if they felt honored by a military parade, "the response was mostly a collective eye roll." "The only people that like this stuff are the VIPS," one 20 year veteran added.
In the more colorful language quoted in the heading: It's wasting time "so that somebody can get their rocks off."
Several vets bristled at the idea we need to show off our military strength. "We demonstrate our military strength in joint military exercises that we do pretty much all the time all over the world." The U.S. "is certainly the most powerful military in the world," said another.
"A better way to show respect for the troops would be to devote more resources to job programs and suicide prevention for veterans," said an Army reservist. Others even brought up the absurdity of Trump, "who dodged military service and mocked a prisoner of war during the campaign," would order a military parade.
Rotations and training schedules are planned years in advance -- all that would be disrupted. The practice time would upend all that.
And then the question -- reflected in that response in the headline -- "What's the point?" Who is this for? The cover story is "to honor our service members." But when HuffPost asked veterans if they felt honored by a military parade, "the response was mostly a collective eye roll." "The only people that like this stuff are the VIPS," one 20 year veteran added.
In the more colorful language quoted in the heading: It's wasting time "so that somebody can get their rocks off."
Several vets bristled at the idea we need to show off our military strength. "We demonstrate our military strength in joint military exercises that we do pretty much all the time all over the world." The U.S. "is certainly the most powerful military in the world," said another.
"A better way to show respect for the troops would be to devote more resources to job programs and suicide prevention for veterans," said an Army reservist. Others even brought up the absurdity of Trump, "who dodged military service and mocked a prisoner of war during the campaign," would order a military parade.
A former Marine said: "Trump still doesn't have the faintest idea of what meaningful patriotism looks like. . . Turning service members into props is reprehensible on its own, and even more enraging when it comes from a man who paraded his own disdain for military service."
Trump's Chief of Staff, General John Kelly, is in hot water over his handling of the current scandal of a wife-beater handling every top secret piece of paper put before the president -- without having passed the security clearance vetting. Maybe Gen. Kelly can redeem himself by standing up and telling the president that this is a no-go -- and that, if he doesn't like it, Kelly's resignation will be on his desk in 15 minutes.
Hey, and while you're at it, General, please tell the emperor that he doesn't have any clothes on. And that we know he's bald underneath the world's most elaborate comb-0ver.
Some things you can do only when you're leaving anyway. Who better than a reputable general who has nothing left to lose?
Ralph
Trump's Chief of Staff, General John Kelly, is in hot water over his handling of the current scandal of a wife-beater handling every top secret piece of paper put before the president -- without having passed the security clearance vetting. Maybe Gen. Kelly can redeem himself by standing up and telling the president that this is a no-go -- and that, if he doesn't like it, Kelly's resignation will be on his desk in 15 minutes.
Hey, and while you're at it, General, please tell the emperor that he doesn't have any clothes on. And that we know he's bald underneath the world's most elaborate comb-0ver.
Some things you can do only when you're leaving anyway. Who better than a reputable general who has nothing left to lose?
Ralph
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