Military Parade

Tex232 said:
The people criticizing Trump for wasting money on a grand military parade are the same folks that have no problem with wasting tax payers dollars on these ridiculous SAPR and "anti-bullying" training programs everyone in the military has to complete. Frankly, I'd rather have the damn parade.
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Seems there may be a greater need for this training then a parade.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/07/sexual-assault-reports-doubled-at-west-point.html

Before you brush this off as Fake Liberal News, I made sure the link was straight from Fox News.
 
cb7893 said:
NTWLF ONE said:
Wow..the WAPO worrying about a rounding error in the DOD budget to bring some hardware down Pennsylvania Avenue. They eagerly support the billons spent on manpower programs that siphon off OMNR dollars and do nothing to increase the effective and efficient killing of the enemy...
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This is about a lot more than the money. Do we really want our folks spending the time and effort on the logistics of loading a bunch of equipment and personnel on rail cars, buses and airplanes to get it all to DC.

Besides, someone needs to tell the President that what he wants is what the Chinese, N. Koreans, Russians, Indians and the French (for goodness sake) do. We are exceptional and our lack of need to show off is just one aspect of it.

With everything going on in the world and in the US at this very moment, President Trump is asking for a full blown "French-style" military parade. It reminds of Otter in Animal House. His response to the Frat House being shutdown is to have road trip.

The only thing more obnoxious than the President's adolescent neediness is the Dems' infantile responses.
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I get it CB...I hated all sorts of pomp and circumstance during my 30 year Navy career that interrupted operations and training...heck...on my first deployment, we lost a port call and beer day for an outgoing SECDEF shipboard visit who was on a Persian Gulf shopping trip with his wife. I don’t want our folks doing anything, and that includes stadium flyovers, that intereferes with their primary “raison d’etre”....engaging and killing the enemy. Merely pointing out the hypocrisy of the WAPO’s sudden concern with frivolous military spending. I can find hundred of millions of dollars of DOD spending advocated by the WAPO that did nothing to increase readiness...

As far as the parade, I’d be worried about the weight bearing capacity of the DC streets and their ability to handle an Abrams Tank or Bradley...
 
NTWLF ONE said:
As far as the parade, I’d be worried about the weight bearing capacity of the DC streets and their ability to handle an Abrams Tank or Bradley...
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Having lived neart Fort Irwin for many years and seeing how Abrams literally leave track prints in asphalt like a doe in a snowfall - that was my first thought. Tank crossings of reinforced concrete are common around here. [emoji23]
 
Jcleppe said:
Tex232 said:
The people criticizing Trump for wasting money on a grand military parade are the same folks that have no problem with wasting tax payers dollars on these ridiculous SAPR and "anti-bullying" training programs everyone in the military has to complete. Frankly, I'd rather have the damn parade.
Click to expand...

Seems there may be a greater need for this training then a parade.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/07/sexual-assault-reports-doubled-at-west-point.html

Before you brush this off as Fake Liberal News, I made sure the link was straight from Fox News.
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Frankly I don’t care what Fox News, CNN, or any of these mainstream media outlets have to say about the topic because they all have their own agenda. The media hacks as well as the geniuses in Congress are under the allusion that they know exactly what goes on in the military and what is best for our troops. People like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and others who have never spent a day of their life in the profession of arms, all of a sudden come into office and want to change the military culture. The public has fallen for this myth that there is some kind of “rape epidemic” going on in the military. Sexual assault in the service is no more or less prevalent than it has been in the past, and it is far below the rate of occurrence in the civilian population. If any group of people should be blamed for rape in the military (or in the civilian world for that matter), it should be the fault of the parents of the current generation who have obviously failed to teach their offspring how to respect women. If someone is going to rape, no amount of this feel-good “training” is going to stop them. If you are too immoral to know the difference between right and wrong as far as respecting women, then you shouldn’t even be in the service in the first place.
 
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NTWLF ONE said:
I get it CB...I hated all sorts of pomp and circumstance during my 30 year Navy career that interrupted operations and training...heck...on my first deployment, we lost a port call and beer day for an outgoing SECDEF shipboard visit who was on a Persian Gulf shopping trip with his wife. I don’t want our folks doing anything, and that includes stadium flyovers, that intereferes with their primary “raison d’etre”....engaging and killing the enemy. Merely pointing out the hypocrisy of the WAPO’s sudden concern with frivolous military spending. I can find hundred of millions of dollars of DOD spending advocated by the WAPO that did nothing to increase readiness...

As far as the parade, I’d be worried about the weight bearing capacity of the DC streets and their ability to handle an Abrams Tank or Bradley...
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I agree with you.

My biggest frustration is the amount of time spent by the media in general responding to everything the President tweets or says, either explaining away its sheer goofiness or treating it like the burning of the Reichstag. There is so much pressing business to be done here in the US and overseas with the help of allies and it's more and more difficult to get any real analysis or thoughtful commentary.
 
Yep...the worst was staring at a full inbox and getting that knock on the door...”Hey Skipper, time for the 0800 GMT in the Ready Room.” As a 52 year old O-6, in a 25 year marriage with kids, I’d waste an hour on “Pregnancy Prevention” Training, watching a 19 year old Corpsmen demonstrate how to use a condom..definitely “one size fits all” approach to training.. if you know what I mean..:)
 
Not a huge fan of dog and pony shows, but I guess a public parade is better than shenanigans for the 4 star walking through base.
Of course, because Pres. Trump suggested it, it will either be "the greatest thing since sliced bread" or the "act of an evil lunatic and sure sign of armageddon" depending on which TV station you are watching. (rolls eyes)
The "I care deeply about this meter" didn't really move, for me.
 
I have conflicting views on this "parade." If the purpose is for a "show of strength" than I'm against it. We do that every time an aircraft carriers sits off the coast of foreign nations. If it is to show appreciation for our service members than I am all for it. To this point, there has been no "official" word on the purpose. SecDef and Sarah Huckabee Sanders have both said it was for America to show appreciation to our military, but of course, we do not know the original intent. Only POTUS and those in the room during the initial discussion know the true intent. If it is as Gen. Mattis described, I see nothing wrong with civilians showing appreciation to those in uniform. (even if it's a non-voluntary show of appreciation.)
 
KP2020Dad said:
If it is to show appreciation for our service members than I am all for it.
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I spent the better part of 3 years in DC planning all that Military Pomp you see on TV. The logistics of this type of a large scale parade is a nightmare, and that's just regarding the personnel, the hardware is even worse.

If we want to show appreciation to our service members then don't make them spend their off duty time practicing for a parade like this, not to mention the preparation time to move that type of hardware to DC. They will need to go outside the DC area to get the manpower for a parade like this, the Honor Guard units in DC will not be nearly enough to fill even a single block of the parade. The incoming service members will need to be housed, they will be away from their families, and if this happens on a holiday weekend they lose their normal 4 day weekend. That may sound trivial but these guys hate to miss them, it's a great time to spend with family.
Now consider if they do this over the 4th of July, have you been in DC for the 4th, hot and humid is an understatement. While the parade may last 2 hours, these service members will be out there hours early just standing around in the heat in full gear, Believe me, appreciation is not what they will be feeling.

You want to show appreciation for our service members, have a civilian parade outside a military base, throw a big Military Appreciation Day at a base and invite the service members and their families. Don't take away their off duty time to prepare for a parade, make them stand around all day in 100 degree heat and then march down the street so they can be a photo op. There are professional Honor Guard units in DC that are paid to do just that, it's what they do and they do it well.

Military units get the chance to march in local parades, they get the applause from the crowds showing their appreciation, but trust me, very few actually enjoy having to do those parades.

I'm not trying to make a blanket statement that everyone hates doing these parade, just that given the choice most would take a pass.
 
And getting in dress and try stepping around the horse manure during a local parade. Great fun.
 
+ Jcleppe

I was going to stay out of this discussion but had to echo your comments. I did my fair share of "dog & pony shows" and never felt appreciated.

I was lucky to serve while Ronald Reagan was President and what made me feel appreciated was significant pay raises every year, funding to train effectively and a budget that told the military it was important and critical. He took every opportunity to praise the men and women of the armed services and his actions matched his words.

Skip the parade. Fix their planes, fund their training, upgrade their benefits, fix the VA, etc etc.
 
AF6872 said:
And getting in dress and try stepping around the horse manure during a local parade. Great fun.
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I can relate.

Try doing a parade on Canal Street during Mardi Gras. We flew our Drill Team down from DC, did 4 parades in 7 days. I will admit that those were parades I didn't mind doing. NOLA knows how to show Military Appreciation.

What happens in Mardi Gras, Stays in Mardi Gras.
 
And etc, etc, etc and etc for our military. Mardi Gras was great for AF as we did not have to wear uniforms (civilian clothes allowed but hair might give us away). SP was picking up Sailors and Marines left and right because they were in required uniforms. On Canal and Burbon you only had to dodge the bottles in the street. Did you get a lot of beads? Been to five and all were great times. One of my favorite towns. They do know Military appreciation.
 
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KP2020Dad said:
I have conflicting views on this "parade." If the purpose is for a "show of strength" than I'm against it. We do that every time an aircraft carriers sits off the coast of foreign nations. If it is to show appreciation for our service members than I am all for it. To this point, there has been no "official" word on the purpose. SecDef and Sarah Huckabee Sanders have both said it was for America to show appreciation to our military, but of course, we do not know the original intent. Only POTUS and those in the room during the initial discussion know the true intent. If it is as Gen. Mattis described, I see nothing wrong with civilians showing appreciation to those in uniform. (even if it's a non-voluntary show of appreciation.)
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The military has suggested a parade date of November 11, which we celebrate as Veterans Day. In many other countries, as well as for decades in ours, it is known as Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War 1. The opposing forces agreed to cease hostilities at 11 a.m. Paris time of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. The 100th anniversay would be a fitting day for a parade.

Election Day will occur on November 6. If there is pressure to hold the parade prior to Election Day, that would be a clue about the motivations of those who are calling for the parade. In the words of Pres. Trump, "You figure that one out."
 
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