Most regular soldiers I knew in the Army hated freaking parades and ceremonies.

[Elwood P Dowd]

The only exceptions would be the Old Guard guys at Arlington, but that was their job. They were the ones guarding the Tomb of The Unknown Solder and doing all the Army parades and ceremonies in Washington. Some of us draftees that were new there would get stuck with extra duty assignments once a month, pulled out of our regular job, and sent to do 'grunt' work for day, including putting up and taking down all the crap needed for some stupid ceremony. Something big like Trump wants is not only going to cost millions, it's going to take thousands of people away from their regular military duties, disrupt the Military District of Washington for a few days, and all just to satisfy his fat ass.

The only positive for most of us was that we were not in 'Nam getting our asses shot at on a daily basis.

Why not take all that wasted money for Trump's stupid Banana Republic parade and give it to organizations that help homeless veterans?

[spanone]

1. that's exactly what Col. Jack Jacobs said on m$nbc this afternoon

[Proud liberal 80]

2. I hate doing parades

Especially on my day off like Veterans Day

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. Admiral Stavridis said the same thing on MSNBC.

[wishstar]

3. My Dad, a WW11 Army medic refused to participate in any military parades or ceremonies

He opposed the Vietnam War and he despised GW Bush's Iraq war, saying from the outset that it was all about oil, not WMD.

I did arrange for taps to be played at a memorial service for him at the hilltop cemetery where he is buried.

Trump would do better to spend more time visiting military hospitals and paying his respects at cemeteries, but he has no compassion or empathy.

[Skittles]

4. I think they would especially hate one orderd by a draft-dodging chicken hawk

[yallerdawg]

5. At the conclusion of Navy Boot Camp...

I was offered watch in the barracks by the CC - skip the "parade" and graduation we had trained for all those weeks. I think the CC glommed on to it that I wasn't really into the whole 'military' thing - E 3 already and headed for nuclear subs and all.

He sure pegged me - and to this day, I have never seen a military parade in my life!

Then this Texas boy got turned loose on San Diego, in the '70's - and it ALL went to hell from there!

[Wounded Bear]

6. They pretty much suck for the participants...

I'm sure Comrade Bone Spurs would love them.

[underpants]

7. 🇺🇸

God I hated ceremonies when I was in the Army
Endless inspections and practicing and standing around. Change of commands were the worst. Everyday in our "good" BDU's and spit shined boots. Then after a weeke of practice in the airfield they cut the grass - clippings everywhere and bugs. Standing at attention or parade rest for hours with bugs buzzing around biting. That was for a change of command at my regular unit.

Right before graduating from basic getting ready for the ceremony they had us pick up a set of bleachers and carry it about a mile to where the Marines trained (Ft. Knox). Two drill Sgts just finishing school took us. We unlocked the chain and started pulling this one out and then this one, finally they decided on one and we locked everything up and carried it back. After we fell out I walked up to the two Drills and said, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah sure"
"Aren't those the same bleachers we took up there?"
They both started chuckling and one said, "Welcome to the Army"

[Aristus]

8. I was in Tanker School at Fort Knox when we had to stand in formation for the post change of command

back in 1989.

It was blazing hot out there on the parade ground. We had to stand at parade-rest for hours, (and parade rest is much more uncomfortable to maintain for a long period than the position of attention) and a rivet inside the top of my helmet was drilling into my scalp; it was agonizing.

After all that, the post CO rode by on review, a big bear of a man whose name I forget, whose trademark was a big Buford Pusser-style wooden club. Some hot-shot.

I hated the whole thing...

[yallerdawg]

9. That's military SOP!

On TDY, a couple of us were ordered to spread a big mound of dirt next to the parade field - unsightly - and we shoved and raked all day. The mound was still substantially there at the end of the day.

They called for a 'dozer and leveled it in a couple minutes.

"Welcome to the Navy!" they said. When I learned what "FTN" meant.

[Elwood P Dowd]

11. Like FTA in the Army.

Almost every letter I sent home during my 2 years would end with 'FTA'.

[doc03]

12. I hated Saturdays in our base camp in Germany back in 1969. Every

Saturday we either had some stupid parade or an inspection. It was a vacation to go out in the boonies to the border camp or
training.

[Squaredeal]

13. Those Germans loved their military parades.

I guess that the US Army was their substitute after they lost the war.

[doc03]

14. The Germans hosted a party for us when we landed on the moon back in 69 with

lots of beer and food and we made a little parade around the post for their entertainment.

[Squaredeal]

15. Some in my stateside battalion went back to Nam for a second tour to avoid this chickenshit.

I filled out my request for a transfer the second day I got to Ft Hood. Within a few months, I was back on the Lao border with my old unit. A few other fellow soldiers followed me there soon after, after submitting their own transfer requests. One of them of them ran into a couple more of them coming back from Nam their second time, in Oakland, their having volunteered to go back just to get out of Ft. Hood.