For months, press and media warned that President Donald Trump’s U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade on June 14th would pave the way for martial law.
From my spot opposite the President’s box, it was obvious that they had blown it way out of proportion.
Families sat on the grass eating chips. Soldiers of all backgrounds marched in historical costumes. Humvee drivers made hearts with their hands. Kids laughed at robot army dogs.
One mother yelled, “Tyler! Tyler! We love you!” at a tank driver. He shot her the universal side-eye: Mom, please stop.
The soundtrack? Metallica, Van Halen, The Who. A few live Country singers. The Band of Brothers TV miniseries theme played as troops in WWII uniforms marched past.
Not menacing. A bit cheesy.
The crowd was smaller than hoped. Saturday’s muggy air was thick enough to swim through, making going out all day unappealing. The weathermen forecast thunderstorms, which never materialized.
But the press selling it as a dictator’s circus and hyping up the ‘No Kings’ counterprotests likely kept even more folks at home.
In the end, it didn’t change the nature of the event. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was clear: parades help recruitment.
Big screens played high-production Army ads. To impress high schoolers, President Trump swore in a new crop of military academy grads. Sean Curran, the Secret Service Director made famous in last year’s assassination attempt, tossed souvenir badges into the crowd. “You have to sign up now,” he joked.
Now, even as tensions rise with Iran and we wait to see if the U.S. military will play a part, this parade remained a modest, easy-going affair.
A dictator’s parade? Give me a break.
The media promised North Korea. We got Electric Picnic with a few jeeps.
Kilian Patrick Mallon