The Atlantic

Trump Wants a Military Parade—So What?

Displays of weaponry in Washington are rare, unlike in other capitals.
Source: Rick Wilking / Reuters

Let’s get this out of the way: America still holds military parades. Regularly. They are held in small towns across the country to honor veterans, to remember those who were killed on the battlefield, and to showcase a community’s ties to the military. But the last time there was a military parade in Washington, George H.W. Bush was president. It was 1991 and the U.S. had just won the war in Iraq. About 200,000 people showed up to watch, and all told it cost about $8 million.

The world was different then (even if that parade had its). The nearly

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