On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump had asked the Pentagon to schedule a military parade to take place in Washington, D.C. in order to show gratitude for the United States Armed Forces and while Democrats scoff at the idea. One such liberal Democrat, U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison called Trump’s proposal, the latest idiot, and dictatorial idea, but U.S. military parades and celebrations have occurred on various occasions since the Civil War.
White House Press Secretary Sanders stated on Tuesday that Trump is very much so supportive of the military, veterans, and service members who keep America safe and that he wanted to find a way to celebrate by having a parade on a national level to show that appreciation.
The Gulf War
The most recent military parade happened in Washington, D.C., at the end of the first Gulf War back in 1991. The “National Victory Celebration Parade”, where the route of the parade went down Constitution Ave. and the parade comprised of tanks and the Patriot missiles. President George H.W. Bush was president at the time and stated that it was a “Great day” according to news reports reporting on the Armed Forces parade.
Presidential Inaugurations
The 1961 inaugural ceremony of President John F. Kennedy included a procession including dozens of weaponry as well as U.S. service members and Navy sailors who were aboard U.S. Navy boats towed all along Pennsylvania Ave. In 1953, President Dwight Eisenhower’s inaugural parade had included some 22,000 service members and the marching soldiers included a military cannon that was able to launch a nuclear missile.
Parades of World War II
In terms of World War 2, parades were assembled where the United States Army 82nd Airborne Division, which specialized in parachute assault operations into various inaccessible areas during the war, paraded in New York City on January 12, 1946. U.S. Army featured their M4 Sherman tanks which evolved from the M3 Medium Tank.
Prior to that parade, another parade in Washington DC that commended Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Navy Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas (CinCPOA).
“More than 1,000 Navy aircraft from fighters to dive and torpedo bombers, filled the skies above, thrilling the thousands of people who packed the National Mall and the parade route,” the United States Naval Institute stated.
World War I celebration parades
There was the World War I parade in 1918 in New York. Then, General John J. Pershing of the American Expeditionary Forces conducted two U.S. armed forces parades during the month of September in the year, 1919. The first one took place in New York City on September 10th while the second military parade occurred in Washington, D.C. on September 17th.
The Civil War
In May of 1865, prior to the Civil War, the Grand Review of the Armies parade was held in Washington, D.C. in which the parade was in honor to the Union troops and the event was held for two days.
The non-profit organization, The Civil War Trust, stated that the event had created an immediate celebration-type atmosphere that helped calm the nation and the city after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. President Andrew Johnson, who was Lincoln’s vice president prior to the assassination and others, viewed the parade from a presidential reviewing platform.
