These Veterans Say Trump's Military Parade Would Be A Big Waste Of Time
WASHINGTON â For the soldiers  sailors  airmen and Marines who would be tasked with making it happen  a military parade like  the one President Donald Trump  reportedly envisions would be a colossal pain in the rear guard.
 Trump  has long fantasized about being in the center of a celebration involving thousands of soldiers marching in formation alongside tanks and missile launchers. And in January  after watching 6 000 soldiers march through Paris last summer to commemorate a turning point in the French Revolution   he  told military brass to start planning a parade âlike the one in France â The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Charles Platiau / Reuters A scene from the 2017 Bastille Day parade in France that reportedly inspired  President Donald Trump  to request a military parade in the U.S.
There are some regiments in the D.C. area with service members who are well-trained in marching and ceremonies. The 3rd U.S. Infantry  known as the Old Guard  conducts ceremonies at the White House and the Pentagon  maintains a 24-hour vigil at the Tomb of the Unknowns  and provides military funeral escorts at Arlington National Cemetery. But a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue consisting only of troops from the Old Guard would look âlaughably small â said Jonathan Hollis  who served in special operations forces and completed four deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. âItâs not what  Trump  has in mind.â
Preparation for a parade of the scale  Trump  seems to want would require participants to practice for about a week in advance  several current and former members of the military estimated.
If  Trump  wanted the militaryâs biggest  most badass-looking military equipment on display during the parade  it would likely require the participation of active duty service members who are either preparing for deployment or have recently returned from a combat zone. National Guardsmen have some heavy equipment  but their weaponry tends to be older â and unless  Trump  federalized the National Guard for the purposes of his parade  he would need a governor to volunteer the stateâs troops.
 Trump  still doesnât have the faintest idea of what meaningful patriotism looks like. Luke Thomas
 Trump  would probably want  his  military parade to outdo the one  he  attended in France. That means  he  would ask for equipment like tanks  mobile missile launchers and anti-aircraft rocket launchers â much of which is located on bases in states like North Carolina  Georgia and Texas.
Some veterans considered it particularly absurd that  Trump   who dodged military service and mocked a prisoner of war during the campaign  would order a military parade.
â Trump  still doesnât have the faintest idea of what meaningful patriotism looks like.  It âs why weâre having this inane debate over athletes kneeling before a football game â Luke Thomas  who served in the Marine Corps and is now a journalist covering mixed martial arts  wrote in an email. âTurning 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.â
WASHINGTON â For the soldiers  sailors  airmen and Marines who would be tasked with making it happen  a military parade like  the one President Donald Trump  reportedly envisions would be a colossal pain in the rear guard.
 Trump  has long fantasized about being in the center of a celebration involving thousands of soldiers marching in formation alongside tanks and missile launchers. And in January  after watching 6 000 soldiers march through Paris last summer to commemorate a turning point in the French Revolution   he  told military brass to start planning a parade âlike the one in France â The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Charles Platiau / Reuters A scene from the 2017 Bastille Day parade in France that reportedly inspired   [TGT] to request a military parade in the U.S.
There are some regiments in the D.C. area with service members who are well-trained in marching and ceremonies. The 3rd U.S. Infantry  known as the Old Guard  conducts ceremonies at the White House and the Pentagon  maintains a 24-hour vigil at the Tomb of the Unknowns  and provides military funeral escorts at Arlington National Cemetery. But a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue consisting only of troops from the Old Guard would look âlaughably small â said Jonathan Hollis  who served in special operations forces and completed four deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. âItâs not what   [TGT] has in mind.â
Preparation for a parade of the scale   [TGT] seems to want would require participants to practice for about a week in advance  several current and former members of the military estimated.
If   [TGT]   wanted the militaryâs biggest  most badass-looking military equipment on display during the parade  it would likely require the participation of active duty service members who are either preparing for deployment or have recently returned from a combat zone. National Guardsmen have some heavy equipment  but their weaponry tends to be older â and unless   [TGT]   federalized the National Guard for the purposes of  [TGT]  parade   [TGT]  would need a governor to volunteer the stateâs troops.
  [TGT] still  [TGT]  have the faintest idea of what meaningful patriotism looks like. Luke Thomas
  [TGT] would probably want   [TGT]   military parade to outdo the one   [TGT]   attended in France. That means   [TGT]   would ask for equipment like tanks  mobile missile launchers and anti-aircraft rocket launchers â much of which is located on bases in states like North Carolina  Georgia and Texas.
Some veterans considered it particularly absurd that  Trump   who dodged military service and mocked a prisoner of war during the campaign  would order a military parade.
â  [TGT] still doesnât have the faintest idea of what meaningful patriotism looks like.  It âs why weâre having this inane debate over athletes kneeling before a football game â Luke Thomas  who served in the Marine Corps and is now a journalist covering mixed martial arts  wrote in an email. âTurning 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.â