President Trump is considering a military parade in Washington DC

President Donald Trump. Reuters. 

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering ordering the Defense Department to commission a military parade in Washington DC. Reuters. Trump was very impressed with the Bastille Day celebrations he saw in France last July and would like something similar in this country. No concrete plans have been made so far. The United States has held major military parades before but usually only after major military victories. 

My Comment: 

I really like this idea. It seems like a very good way to both honor our military as well as show how impressive it is to the rest of the world. Trump was right, France's Bastille Day parade is always impressive and so are the parades of other countries that do this kind of thing. It also shows that other countries don't have a problem doing this. France is generally highly regarded and they have been doing this for years, why can't we? 

I think it would be a decent way to honor our military. Though the Reuters report says these parades are generally reserved for a major military victory, I think it is appropriate. The thing is we did have a major military victory. We have all but defeated ISIS in both Syria and Iraq and by the time we pull this off they will likely be a spent force. This could very well be a victory parade, though given ISIS's resilience labeling it as such could lead to another "mission accomplished" problem. 

Of course, I don't understand why we would need a reason to have a military parade. Even if it isn't after a major victory, it's still a way to honor the troops and remind the American people of their sacrifices. There is nothing wrong with having a parade for the sake of having a parade. 

I also think it will send a major message to the rest of the world. We have the most powerful military in the world but we tend to downplay that fact. This would be a clear message to the rest of the world. Rogue regimes like North Korea and Iran would see up close how big and powerful our military is. I am guessing that we would also put their parades to shame.

There are some other benefits as well. Obviously, it would be a very good recruitment tool. People will see the military marching and may want to join up themselves. It could also serve as an uniting event for the American people who are so divided right now. 

Unfortunately, people are criticizing this idea. They call it fascist or worse and seem to hate the idea just on principle. Some of that is just out and out hatred for Donald Trump and can thus be ignored. But it disturbs me greatly that some people just really hate the military and don't want anything that honors them. 

Still, all of this is hypothetical. The parade idea is just in it's infancy right now. It might not even happen and if it does happen it could go differently that we are thinking right now. Until we get some more information, this is all speculation. All we know for sure is that the White House wants a "celebration" and the rest is just quotes from anonymous sources. If the past couple of years have taught us anything it's not to trust stories that have anonymous sources...