Posted on Feb 7, 2018
Trump orders military 'celebration' in Washington, DC
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Awesome! There cannot be a better use of limited resources and manpower than a massive parade honorinthe CinC! It'd be best if we could do it on a major holiday too! And bring in units from all over the country - Strykers from Alaska! 10th Mountain Troops can walk down from Drum! Abrams from Hood! Apaches from Lewis! We can single-handed bring back our dependence on oil! Can we drive some portable nukes down the street and have some B2 and F35 fly overs?! What other awesome parade ideas can we think up??
Trump orders military 'celebration' in Washington, DC
Posted from foxnews.comPosted in these groups: 
Donald Trump
White House
Donald Trump White House
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 9
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I love the immediate jump to conclusions that reflect one's ideological persuasion. Of course President Trump intended this to honor Him. Of course it's a pale imitation of Rocket Boy in North Korea. Of course, of course, of course...
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Sgt Bob Leonard
CPT Jack, I see that you have a "V" for "Vietnam" after your name. Doesn't it bother you that Pres. Trump evaded the Draft and Service to our Country during a time of war? Doesn't it bother you that he hid in an air conditioned Manhattan office while our contemporaries fought and died in SEA. Doesn't it bother you that a man without honor wants to "honor" the Military he ran away from when it mattered?
It bothers me a lot!
It bothers me a lot!
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
CPT Jack Durish - Hey, I'm all about cutting money in every sector. Let's do it. But, it's hard to complain about being so short on money and then think that a multi-million dollar parade is a good idea. And who does this parade do anything for? No one. You're taking tons of equipment and personnel and moving them across the country to come together and walk through the streets of DC for the amusement of the President. You're taking the very Servicepeople you say you're "honoring" and putting them to work, literally, parading through the streets when they might otherwise be training, or spending time with their families. Now, if we want to avoid that - let's make it a VOLUNTEER ONLY parade. Don't order, coerce, or "highly encourage" Servicemembers to attend and see how many show up.
Yes, I give POTUS some credit for trying to increase pay for the military - but it's not unusual. The military has gotten pay raises every year for decades - even when the rest of the country was getting laid off and taking pay cuts. Are they BIG raises? Nope. But, we've all been there: Republicans in office = more pay, more war and deployments; Democrats in office = not as big of a pay raise, less war and deployments. I know which one I'd choose.
Now, if POTUS really wants to step up and help the military - he does it not by offering a base % increase across the board, but by making a sliding scale increase by rank - 1% for Field Grade Officers and up; 2% for Company Grade Officers and Senior NCOS; 5% for Junior NCOS; 8% for E-4 and below. We'll save bunches of cash and put the help where it's needed most.
Yes, I give POTUS some credit for trying to increase pay for the military - but it's not unusual. The military has gotten pay raises every year for decades - even when the rest of the country was getting laid off and taking pay cuts. Are they BIG raises? Nope. But, we've all been there: Republicans in office = more pay, more war and deployments; Democrats in office = not as big of a pay raise, less war and deployments. I know which one I'd choose.
Now, if POTUS really wants to step up and help the military - he does it not by offering a base % increase across the board, but by making a sliding scale increase by rank - 1% for Field Grade Officers and up; 2% for Company Grade Officers and Senior NCOS; 5% for Junior NCOS; 8% for E-4 and below. We'll save bunches of cash and put the help where it's needed most.
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CPT Jack Durish
Sgt Bob Leonard - Actually, no. I've put all that behind me. The only thing I care about is the here and now, and here and now President Trump is using the bully pulpit to honor the military. That's a helluva lot better than other draft dodgers like Clinton and his wife, especially, who reviled the military.
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Sgt Bob Leonard
Different perspectives, different opinions. I don't get to put it all behind me because I'm 24/7 in a wheelchair, thanks to Agent Orange. I'm still one of the more fortunate ones, because I'm not dead, yet.
It probably stunts my spiritual growth, but I haven't been able to forgive him completely for running away from service to our Country, but then using our current Forces for his own political purposes. (I don't believe, for a minute, that he is sincere with all his gushiness over our Armed Forces.)
It probably stunts my spiritual growth, but I haven't been able to forgive him completely for running away from service to our Country, but then using our current Forces for his own political purposes. (I don't believe, for a minute, that he is sincere with all his gushiness over our Armed Forces.)
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My viewpoint remains unchanged from yesterday and can be found here:
https://www.rallypoint.com/shared-links/trump-s-marching-orders-to-the-pentagon-plan-a-grand-military-parade
https://www.rallypoint.com/shared-links/trump-s-marching-orders-to-the-pentagon-plan-a-grand-military-parade
Trump’s ‘marching orders’ to the Pentagon: Plan a grand military parade | RallyPoint
I do hope this is "fake news." IMV, it would be a tremendous waste of time, money, and other resources ... and would accomplish absolutely ... nothing. Military strength is one of those things that, if you've got it, you don't flaunt it. Leave the flash and dash parades to Kim Jung Un.
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The last time I saw any units parading in Washington, D.C was in January 1981 when I was traveling by bus from Fort Benning to Philadelphia and stopped at Washington Dc and saw the inaugural parade of President Ronald Reagan.
That sounds like good news to me. Military parades like military bands and chorus's tend to humanize the service members to the public.
The USSR and China and other nations have tended to use military parades such as the May Day parade to show their military might including weapons platforms such as tanks, ICBM, aircraft, etc.
We tend to have parades which entertain and focus on the might of our nation which is our people - those serving in uniform and other citizens.
MAJ Bryan Zeski.
Celebrating and honoring the service members tends to be conducted as a patriotic exercise which has been performed after the Civil War and WWI and WWII but not Korean or Vietnam Wars.
I had to chuckle at your statement "massive parade honorinthe CinC"
Each service member who serves, honors the nation and leaders including POTUS when we serve or have served honorably for veterans.
Since the POTUS Trump administration has been reducing the staff from the Federal agencies the gross and net taxpayer funded salary bill is going down.
Since FDR, each administration has tended to increase the size and scope of the Federal Government. This occurred in conservative and liberal administrations and culminated in the super-sized former POTUS Obama administration.
Personnel costs tend to be the lion's share of the Federal outlays - including Social Security payments which are paid out of the general treasury and not the FICA contributions many of us have paid via taxes.
Most of the costs associated with any use of military forces in parades are generally sunk costs and won't add burdens to taxpayer funded activities.
1st OPTEMPO governs operational hours of aircraft, vehicles and ships in non-combat activities.
2nd Service members are paid so the salary cost for the military band, marching forces, etc. is already paid.
3rd Military aircraft routinely fly in this are as part of NORAD and other operational tests.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Orlando Illi LTC (Join to see) LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Jeff S. CPT Jack Durish MSgt Robert C Aldi SFC Stephen King MSgt Danny Hope SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SGT Gregory Lawritson Cpl Craig Marton SP5 Mark Kuzinski Maj Marty Hogan
That sounds like good news to me. Military parades like military bands and chorus's tend to humanize the service members to the public.
The USSR and China and other nations have tended to use military parades such as the May Day parade to show their military might including weapons platforms such as tanks, ICBM, aircraft, etc.
We tend to have parades which entertain and focus on the might of our nation which is our people - those serving in uniform and other citizens.
MAJ Bryan Zeski.
Celebrating and honoring the service members tends to be conducted as a patriotic exercise which has been performed after the Civil War and WWI and WWII but not Korean or Vietnam Wars.
I had to chuckle at your statement "massive parade honorinthe CinC"
Each service member who serves, honors the nation and leaders including POTUS when we serve or have served honorably for veterans.
Since the POTUS Trump administration has been reducing the staff from the Federal agencies the gross and net taxpayer funded salary bill is going down.
Since FDR, each administration has tended to increase the size and scope of the Federal Government. This occurred in conservative and liberal administrations and culminated in the super-sized former POTUS Obama administration.
Personnel costs tend to be the lion's share of the Federal outlays - including Social Security payments which are paid out of the general treasury and not the FICA contributions many of us have paid via taxes.
Most of the costs associated with any use of military forces in parades are generally sunk costs and won't add burdens to taxpayer funded activities.
1st OPTEMPO governs operational hours of aircraft, vehicles and ships in non-combat activities.
2nd Service members are paid so the salary cost for the military band, marching forces, etc. is already paid.
3rd Military aircraft routinely fly in this are as part of NORAD and other operational tests.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Orlando Illi LTC (Join to see) LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Jeff S. CPT Jack Durish MSgt Robert C Aldi SFC Stephen King MSgt Danny Hope SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SGT Gregory Lawritson Cpl Craig Marton SP5 Mark Kuzinski Maj Marty Hogan
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MAJ Bryan Zeski
LTC Stephen F. I'd be interested in seeing how much this administration has reduced overall government spending - "the gross and net taxpayer funded salary bill is going down" - or are you just referring to specifically the salary portion of spending only?
Concerning your other points:
1. Yes, OPTEMPO covers those activities - however, your parade hours, time and resources come from the same budget as your training budget does. Last I checked, there isn't a surplus of training dollars and there are units out there who aren't getting their training in because of a lack of money in that pot. Wouldn't OPTEMPO dollars be better spent on training as opposed to parading? When we "win" those Iraq and Afghanistan wars and have a fully trained and ready military, then we can reasonably look at pomp and circumstance events - until then, we're wasting limited resources with no real benefit to anyone.
2. Yes, Servicemembers are paid already - however, you're leaving out all of the TDY costs associated with brining a lot of SMs over to wherever the parade is - housing them, feeding them, moving them, etc. That's all extra to their usual salary - and isn't cheap. Where are they going to stay? You know there aren't enough open military facilities in the DC area to accommodate that influx of troops. Are you going to put them up in DC-area hotels? What are those rates? Trump hotels? Will they get a discount? Who really benefits from this?
3. I'm not an expert or even very knowledgeable on aircraft operations and expenses, so I'll pass on this one.
Bottom line: Is the juice worth the squeeze? I'm failing to see what the juice is here and who is benefits.
Concerning your other points:
1. Yes, OPTEMPO covers those activities - however, your parade hours, time and resources come from the same budget as your training budget does. Last I checked, there isn't a surplus of training dollars and there are units out there who aren't getting their training in because of a lack of money in that pot. Wouldn't OPTEMPO dollars be better spent on training as opposed to parading? When we "win" those Iraq and Afghanistan wars and have a fully trained and ready military, then we can reasonably look at pomp and circumstance events - until then, we're wasting limited resources with no real benefit to anyone.
2. Yes, Servicemembers are paid already - however, you're leaving out all of the TDY costs associated with brining a lot of SMs over to wherever the parade is - housing them, feeding them, moving them, etc. That's all extra to their usual salary - and isn't cheap. Where are they going to stay? You know there aren't enough open military facilities in the DC area to accommodate that influx of troops. Are you going to put them up in DC-area hotels? What are those rates? Trump hotels? Will they get a discount? Who really benefits from this?
3. I'm not an expert or even very knowledgeable on aircraft operations and expenses, so I'll pass on this one.
Bottom line: Is the juice worth the squeeze? I'm failing to see what the juice is here and who is benefits.
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