'Using us as props'

[struggle4progress]

Veterans have spoken out against President Donald Trump's "A Salute to America" July 4 celebration employing tanks and fighter jets as wrongfully using military equipment as "props" and as absolutely and insanely inappropriate ...

Having military personnel transport tanks from distant bases to Washington, D.C., over Fourth of July week is "insanely inappropriate," Marine Corps veteran Kyle Bibby told Newsweek on Wednesday, "And flies in the face of everything that I understood about training as Marines."

"We just don't do that," Bibby, 33, said. "We just don't do parades, there's no tactical training value in that."

Bibby, who was a captain and had a deployment in Afghanistan in 2010, acknowledged that military equipment is used for events like Fleet Week "but it's never about an individual person, they don't have a political party handing out tickets" ...

https://www.newsweek.com/veterans-trump-july-4-parade-inappropriate-1447480

[struggle4progress]

1. 4th of July military show divides US

Jeff Mason
AAP
Thursday, 4 July 2019 4:30 pm

... Asked earlier this week if he could give a speech that would represent all Americans, he said he thought he could, and then launched into an attack on Democrats' policies ...

Republican political groups were given prime tickets for Trump's speech, and the Washington Post reported that the US National Park Service diverted $US2.5 million ($A3.6 million) in park entrance fees to help pay for the event ...

https://7news.com.au/politics/donald-trump/trumps-july-4-military-show-divides-us-c-199692

[rampartc]

2. well, i did plenty of parades when i was a marine

but this is more of a campaign event

[Adsos Letter]

4. Same here, stateside, in the Army.

Don’t think I ever participated in one overseas.

[struggle4progress]

3. Who distributed 'Salute to America' tickets?

By Igor Derysh
Updated Jul 4, 2019 at 2:50pm

Tickets to President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July “Salute to America” event were distributed by the White House, as well as the Republican National Committee, which coordinated closely with Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, according to Politico.

The White House declined to explain how the tickets were distributed but a Trump administration official told Politico that the reserved seating area for Trump’s speech will include First Lady Melania Trump and the Trump family, Vice President Mike Pence and his family, and veterans. Several Cabinet officials and special guests are also expected to attend.

The RNC tried to use the tickets they received from the White House for the speech to “woo donors,” Politico reported. The RNC is “closely coordinating” with Trump’s reelection campaign, even though the White House has stressed that Trump’s speech will not be a “political event” ...

The White House and RNC had a difficult time giving tickets for Trump’s speech away, Politico reported, citing how “hastily arranged” the event was ...

https://heavy.com/news/2019/07/trump-salute-to-america-tickets-who-distributed-them/