So President Donald Trump, who has never served a day in military service, wants a grand military parade with tanks, guns, fighter jets and all the rest down Pennsylvania Avenue.
The only regimes who engage in such behaviors are bullies—attempting to inspire fear in other countries and their own people, or attempting to bolster their own insecurities by posturing. Examples of the former are Germany and the Soviet Union in the middle of the 20th century. Examples of the latter are North Korea and, yes, France. Maybe this bully will have a uniform designed for himself as commander in chief, forgetting that civilian leadership of the military is one of the U.S. constitutional highlights.
Real military leaders, and I have personally known many, use the force at their disposal only when necessary and do not send the troops under their command to death lightly. Every casualty eats at them for the rest of their lives.
Veterans parades—that is the survivors of battles—celebrate not the killing, but the sacrifices made. So let's have veterans parade, and let's celebrate fighting the good fight when we had to, but let us not engage in intimidation or glorify our military might. As former President Theodore Roosevelt said, "Speak softly, but carry a big stick."
— James Kahan, Southeast Portland
