President Donald Trump’s push for a military parade is not a show of strength; it’s a display of insecurity. Even President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a five-star general and war hero, opposed such parades, saying, “This is what they do in third world countries. Parades are for weak nations trying to prove something.” He understood that real power doesn’t need a spectacle.
Military parades are the hallmark of authoritarian regimes like North Korea and Russia. They don’t project confidence; they project fear and ego. The United States leads by example — through strong alliances, democratic values and a professional, apolitical military.
Our troops should be honored through action, not display, with access to quality health care, support for their families and real investment in their well-being. Veterans are not props for a political performance. Throwing a multimillion-dollar parade while deeply cutting staff at the VA is tone-deaf, inappropriate and fundamentally wrong.
A military parade won’t make us safer. It won’t strengthen our democracy. It will only cheapen the dignity of our armed forces and make us look, as Eisenhower warned, weak.
Karen Primm
Smithton