A Massive Military Parade, a Greater America.President Donald Trump's idea of having a military parade would make America great again! After a trip to Paris on July, Trump has asked the Pentagon to celebrate a massive military parade with soldiers marching, and tanks rolling like the one he saw in France or even larger. However, the antagonists think that it is unnecessary for the U.S to boast of its military's strength since it already is recognized as the leader of the NATO alliance and a model of military professionalism that countries around the world want to compete. Moreover, shipping tanks and other military hardware to Washington could cost millions of dollars and the troops are too busy. Hence, the military parade is not essential because it is expensive, not a good way to thank the military for what they have done for us, and it could make other countries doubly think it might be a sign of weakness.
According to an informal poll conducted by the Army Times, nearly nine in ten, or specifically eighty-nine percent, of the publication readers said the parade is a "waste of money and troops are too busy." Other critics have complained such parade would cost an immense price for assembling and displaying the military's biggest and most powerful machines. Furthermore, budget director Mick Mulvaney divulged that the estimate of a potential military parade requested by President Donald Trump is between ten million and thirty million dollars (Washington CNN). Instead of spending this money to have such a massive parade, Trump should use it to help fixing military housing, hire more Veteran Affairs doctors, or give more flight training time. For this reason, a million dollars parade could not be a good option since the United States can use this money for more helpful things. Also, it is unnecessary to celebrate this enormous parade because it can be a sign of weakness since we have not had any military parade since 1991. As we all know, having a military parade in the United States means a war has ended or we have won the war. It could be understandable when North Korea, Russia, or China celebrating their military parade since it is a part of their tradition. Think about it, the America’s authoritarian rivals may need to show their tanks, troops and jets through main thoroughfares in dramatic displays of strength. But should the United States emulate this kind of behavior? This might make people think, "Well, what are they afraid of now? What are they trying to prove? We don’t have to show off to make a point.” Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin is right to call the proposed display a “fantastic waste of money,” while Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told CNN that the parade risked being “kind of cheesy and a sign of weakness” if it’s just about showing off military muscle. On the other hand, there are eleven percent of people who voted for this parade to happen with the opinion that "it is a great opportunity to show off U.S military might and give thanks to our soldiers" (Army Times). Despite of how much money it could cost for no good reason and the fact when this amount of money could help us to fix many other problems in our country. Is it worth it? If President Trump want to honor U.S troops, there are more things useful than expensive military parade such as having a coherent North Korea strategy, Syria strategy, Afghanistan strategy that we have been in 16 years, nominate US Ambassadors to South Korea and deter Russia. Also, we can reminisce our soldiers' heroic dedications through special days like Memorial Day and Veteran Day. Therefore, showing off our strength through a huge parade is not a good idea because appearances don't determine how strong we can be and obviously it is not necessary. In conclusion, Trump's idea of celebrating a parade is an unnecessary decision because there would be no reason for it and this massive display could cost an immense amount of money, which Trump can use it for other things to make America better. Although showing respect to the military is what we should do; however, we can be remembering and thankful for their bravely sacrifices through special dates like Independence Day.
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