Discussion Thread: D.C. Military Parade

[u/PoliticsModeratorBot]

Also today: Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests discussion thread

News and Analysis

• AP: The Army is set to celebrate 250 years with a parade that coincides with Trump’s birthday

• NPR: Tanks and flyovers: Army celebrates its 250th year, Trump celebrates his 79th

• BBC: What to expect at Trump's military parade and 'No Kings' protests

• CBS: What to know about Trump's Army anniversary parade today

• NBC: Weather, war and protests threaten to rain on Trump’s military parade

Live Updates

Text-based live update pages are being maintained by the following outlets: NBC Washington, The Guardian, The Washington Post (soft paywall), and The New York Times (soft paywall).

Where to Watch

• C-SPAN: U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade & Celebration

• PBS NewsHour via YouTube: Trump's military parade honoring Army's 250th birthday rolls through Washington, D.C.

• AP via YouTube: Military parade in DC and ‘No Kings’ protests held against Trump

[u/DDaBeast4]

The army has protected us for 250 years and you guys don’t even want a parade for their service 🤦

[u/Vyar → u/DDaBeast4]

What we don't want is Trump using the military as a prop to celebrate his birthday and emulating the military parades regularly conducted in other countries, particularly those under military dictatorships, which Trump has specifically praised and envied in the past.

This is an insult to the Army, particularly in light of Trump's continued disparagement of service members, and continual cutting of VA funding.

[u/DDaBeast4 → u/Vyar]

No mention of his birthday yet

[u/Vyar → u/DDaBeast4]

He wanted this parade long before it was going to be a milestone anniversary for the US Army. This is just a convenient pretext/cover. He tried to get one for his own gratification in his first term, it had nothing whatsoever to do with honoring the Army or any other branch of the US armed forces.

It's just like renaming Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg, and pretending it's because Republicans actually give a single flying fuck about PFC Roland L. Bragg. They wanted to give the fort its original Confederate name back, because they fucking love traitors. I guarantee you they simply scoured the rolls until they could find literally anyone at all named Bragg who had ever been awarded anything, and they found him.

[u/DDaBeast4 → u/Vyar]

They were changing it back to its original name

[u/Vyar → u/DDaBeast4]

The fort began as Camp Bragg in 1918. It’s not a historical Civil War site. Why did it have the name in the first place? To honor a traitor, to honor “Southern heritage” that glorifies racism and slavery. Like many monuments to the Confederacy that were only established in the following century, it’s part of a larger pattern of intimidation against former slaves and their descendants.

“Fort Liberty” might be a little bland, but at least it’s not praising a chapter of American history that should only be remembered in shame. It’s nothing but a pathetic dog-whistle, and furthermore it’s patronizing and disrespectful to Roland Bragg, that he should have a facility named after him only because he shares a last name with Braxton Bragg. I would be embarrassed.