Inappropriate use of Military Parades and Holidays
Dear Mr. President and Members of Congress, we are writing to express grave concerns related to the use of the military for personal benefit by elected officials and the renaming of America’s Veterans Day.
As you well know, the Veterans Day tradition began as a U.S. legal holiday to celebrate the WW I Armistice. It became a national holiday in 1938, and in 1954 the name was changed to Veteran’s Day to honor all who have served in all of America’s wars. For those who have served, for those who died, for the families who sacrificed side by side as their service member spouses and parents stood the watch to protect freedom and our way of life it would be an insult to discount the veteran contribution in all wars.
Also, other countries celebrate the day as Remembrance Day. They do this to remember the combined contributions of all Allies, and the sacrifice and costs of war. America may have played a major role, a decisive role in WWI and WWII but it did not, nor could it have won them alone. Fighting in those wars was as much an existential interest of the United States as it was to the other belligerents. Congress and the Administration can pay specific honor to America’s contribution to WWI by making 6 April 1917 as WWI day, or Congress, not the President, through the democratic process could pick another day as Veteran’s Day.
Further, in a time of fiscal turbulence and tightening and cutting of important programs that support all Americans, we expect our elected officials to block the attempt to have a parade for a sitting President’s birthday. Not only is it wasteful, but America’s history of grand parades is also relatively rare and includes parades upon entering or ending of a war as a statement of transition and honoring those who served, not the President. Even some limited use of parades at inaugurations including Eisenhower and Kennedy have occurred but even these were tied to a national historical moment and not personal ones.
President Eisenhower is quoted on the issue of national parades, “Absolutely not. We are the pre-eminent power on Earth. For us to try and imitate what the Soviets are doing in Red Square would make us look weak." A personal parade is contrary to our national ethos, and we expect our leaders would, instead of honoring themselves, put that money to use to help our veterans, our poor, or reducing the national debt. We urge the office of the President, the Congress, and the Senate to halt the renaming of Veterans Day, and any effort to conduct a personal parade for any sitting president.
As you well know, the Veterans Day tradition began as a U.S. legal holiday to celebrate the WW I Armistice. It became a national holiday in 1938, and in 1954 the name was changed to Veteran’s Day to honor all who have served in all of America’s wars. For those who have served, for those who died, for the families who sacrificed side by side as their service member spouses and parents stood the watch to protect freedom and our way of life it would be an insult to discount the veteran contribution in all wars.
Also, other countries celebrate the day as Remembrance Day. They do this to remember the combined contributions of all Allies, and the sacrifice and costs of war. America may have played a major role, a decisive role in WWI and WWII but it did not, nor could it have won them alone. Fighting in those wars was as much an existential interest of the United States as it was to the other belligerents. Congress and the Administration can pay specific honor to America’s contribution to WWI by making 6 April 1917 as WWI day, or Congress, not the President, through the democratic process could pick another day as Veteran’s Day.
Further, in a time of fiscal turbulence and tightening and cutting of important programs that support all Americans, we expect our elected officials to block the attempt to have a parade for a sitting President’s birthday. Not only is it wasteful, but America’s history of grand parades is also relatively rare and includes parades upon entering or ending of a war as a statement of transition and honoring those who served, not the President. Even some limited use of parades at inaugurations including Eisenhower and Kennedy have occurred but even these were tied to a national historical moment and not personal ones.
President Eisenhower is quoted on the issue of national parades, “Absolutely not. We are the pre-eminent power on Earth. For us to try and imitate what the Soviets are doing in Red Square would make us look weak." A personal parade is contrary to our national ethos, and we expect our leaders would, instead of honoring themselves, put that money to use to help our veterans, our poor, or reducing the national debt. We urge the office of the President, the Congress, and the Senate to halt the renaming of Veterans Day, and any effort to conduct a personal parade for any sitting president.
View Comments