This is just not accurate.
Here’s an example proving it incorrect:
https://youtu.be/aeFltEjzR2Y?t=1212
That’s just a unit. Not a ceremonial one.
“Defend our nation” by starting wars to keep rich people rich?
Unironically yes. You don’t get to be the center of the universe without showing up on the periphery to kick someone else’s nuts in from time to time.
no sometimes they start wars to get rich people richer
but for reals its not the soldiers starting wars its the higher ups and the people who make weapons who start wars
This is a false dichotomy, as though you can either be productive or learn to march. Obviously you could do both.
No, you can NOT learn to march like they do in North Korea or China and have any time left in your day to do an actual job or even train to fight. That crap takes time.
This is a false dichotomy, but also, maybe if all the others have been doing it for millennia there is a reason. For instance, having large groups that walk fast while not taking too much space, but also many other things : Marching into battle, study
Broadly speaking, yeah. We send every member of the US Army through “Basic Training” even though 95% of them will never actually fire a gun or climb over a fence or jog ten miles in the rain for the rest of their careers.
Parade March is a thing we don’t bother to drill into units (except specifically tasked “Parade Units” that exist to do little circus acts for the high command’s amusement). But we could do it instead of the GI Joe training for the private class janitorial staff if we felt like it.
The bigger picture is that the US Military is a fountain of economic waste, social abuse, and pointless bloodshed in the name of machismo. Trump’s parade is just the cherry on a seven layer cake of squandered national wealth.
But it’s the thing liberals will fixate on, because we can’t ever actually say “The Pentagon sucks ass and makes the world an objectively worse place to live in”. It always has to be about this one Great Man Of History doing things wrong in a way his hypothetical liberal alternative would not.
It’s very important for soldiers to focus on doing “important work to defend our nation” (murdering brown kids) and that they’re “productive at their jobs” (bombing hospitals)
I came here for this but found people already pointing it out.
DeFeNdInG as seen by everyone else: going to places 5k km away and murdering every living thing there.
VeTeRaNs as seen by everyone else: steroid micro-penis assholes murdering women & children
The bravest and most honorable men in our nation are doing the hard, honest work of fucking all those military wives while their chud husbands are deployed abroad.
When has the US military defended the nation? I got the impression that they’re mostly used for invading foreign countries for financial gain, cf Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Sudan, Panama, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Cuba, Guatemala, Korea.
Yeah. That’s kind of America’s whole thing. Making money. Exploiting everything. Americans are the Ferengi.
Defending America = defending capitalism = doing whatever they can to make American, capitalist companies more profitable.
I don’t hate capitalism. Don’t get me wrong, but I generally don’t like capitalists.
Capitalists are what makes capitalism capitalism. How can you hate one without the other?
Invasion is the defense.
This is what Americans call “defending the nation”; making war in other countries than their own, believing themselves to be the world police.
I think America has only ever been attacked… Twice… In all of history (Pearl Harbour and 9/11), and both times the defense was pretty piss poor.
America was attacked hundreds of times. The native people lost.
I’m not sure either of these events can even be counted as an attack. Pearl Harbour is roughly 3800km from the mainland. It’s basically an overseas territory. An attack there is like saying the Falkland War was an attack on the UK.
And 9/11 was a terrorist attack, not a war. While it was a big attack, it was still only carried out by a handful of non-state-actors. That’s quite a different thing than an actual military attack by a country.
Afaik, the last war on US soil was the civil war.
Hawaii was not a state for almost 2 decades after pearl harbor, so yeah.
The original white house was burned to the ground by British/Canadian troops in 1814.
Not to mention about 100 different American Indian Wars, though some of those were more slaughter than war.
The original white house was burned to the ground by British/Canadian troops in 1814.
Yeah, ok, that counts as a war on US soil, but that’s still over 200 years ago.
Not to mention about 100 different American Indian Wars, though some of those were more slaughter than war.
Hard to really count them as wars for the reason you mentioned.
I think it was probably in protest. However they can, I guess.
“A serious problem in planning against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine.”
– Soviet observation during the Cold WarRussians be like “they can’t march, maybe they can’t even clean a toilet bowl with their fork or fuck and tortue a child, we totally win”
On a fucking Saturday too. They wanted to be with their loved one probably.
I woulda filed a chit for gastro or something.
These soldiers spend their days doing important work to defend our nation.
The U.S. military has done nothing to defend their “nation” for over 100 years. They ONLY defend the corporate oligarchs’ ability to steal resources and use slave labor in third world countries.
Lmao yet Ukraine still stands thanks to American intelligence and military apparatus.
I’m not even an American but this kindergarten sentiment on Lemmy is so exhausting.
Are you suggesting that kindergarten political thought is somehow less valid? You must hate children!
Lmao yet Ukraine still stands thanks to American intelligence and military apparatus.
Which they provide exactly as long as they profit exponentially from it. Dont pretend like the US would provide foreign aid out of generosity.
I am of the mindset that a good thing done for selfish reasons is still ultimately a good thing done.
Me too, but that still doesnt contradict the comment above drmoose’s
And then promptly fucked right out of peace negotiations immediately after signing the resources deal. Fits perfectly well with
They ONLY defend the corporate oligarchs’ ability to steal resources and use slave labor in third world countries.
Yeah you get a lot of these ‘moral purity absolutists’ with all the nuance of an edgy teen. Some of them, or course, are edgy teens, but 100 years is a super odd choice even so. You’d think by the time they were 13 they’d have heard of at least one war that came pretty close to defense against a malign hegemonic power with ambitions of global domination…
It really reminds me how I felt when I was an edgy 16-year old but luckily for me social media wasn’t really a thing yet so it didn’t bother anyone.
It’s possible that you’re overestimating the US contribution
Looking at the conflicts they have been explictly or covertly involved in, it does seem like they are attempting to create a hegemony. That’s not to say that some good doesn’t get done along the way but it is more of a byproduct than the intent.
But… Ukraine falling to Russia would strengthen the US’s military (and cultural) hegemony over the western world. If this truly was the rationale behind the US’s involvement in Ukraine, everything we’ve done thus far would make absolutely zero sense. Strengthening Ukraine and spurring investment into the home-grown EU defense industry only serves to weaken our position as the lynchpin of NATO. A better justification for US involvement in Ukraine is that this is a great opportunity to starve Russia’s economy by forcing them into conflicts they cannot economically support (which was much the same strategy that lead to the collapse of the soviet union).
It’s also a great opportunity for Russia to starve the US economy by getting them involved in conflicts it cannot economically support. And the US is far more overextended due to other conflicts.
Must have forgotten that Ukraine became a US state, these edgy kids
The band played “Fortunate Son”. They all knew exactly what they were doing.
If shit ever does hit the fan full send (I very much doubt it) he doesn’t have the army.
Imperial March would have been dope
Got a video link? Sounds amazing.
Beautiful.
They didn’t want to attract the worm.
No need, trump was already there.
Trump physically resembles Baron Harkonen from the old film.
“The Spice must flow”
gotta stroke shitler’s ego.
From what I’m hearing from coordinators and people inside its not that they can’t march. It’s that nobody wanted to. They had to be there. So they phoned it in. Malicious compliance.
Like the squeaky tanks. That was a choice made in the motor pool. They could have greased them up and tested to make sure they were smooth. But they made a different call.
I’m not saying you’re wrong, but i do find it hard to believe. I think most people that take pride in their jobs won’t half ass it.
100%. I’m the most uncoordinated guy I know and even I learned (French army but the cadence/the mere act of marching is similar enough), like not even that far into basic either. Maybe not everything is lost for the common American!
Lmao I didn’t think about that. Probably didn’t think it would be quiet enough to hear it squeak either.
Same, considering its age that thing is in mint condition and barely made any noise, really highlighted how much crowd noise wasn’t there
They deliberately half-assed the parade because they don’t like the way Trump treats them. Trump calls them “suckers and losers.” He cuts their benefits Why would you show any loyalty (or enthusiasm) to someone who treats you like that?
More Trump quotes: “You fucking generals. Why can’t you be more like Hitler’s generals?” 2017
On the burial of US Army private Vanessa Guillén: “It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a fucking Mexican!” December 4, 2020. Trump has denied having made the remark.
“We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral.” August, 2018. Trump has denied having made this remark.
re: John McCain, who was captured and tortured for five years: “He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured, okay? I hate to tell you.” July 18, 2015.
“But, you know, during the Vietnam War, I got very lucky. I had a very high lottery number.” November 9, 1995.
On the 1,800 US Marines who died at Belleau Wood in France during World War I “Suckers.” November 11, 2018. Trump denies having made this remark.
On US soldiers in World War I “Who were the good guys in this war?” November 11, 2018. Trump denies having asked this question.
“I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” November 11, 2018. Trump denies having made this remark.
On disabled veterans “Why do you bring people like that here? No one wants to see that, the wounded.” September 30, 2019.
“Look, I don’t want any wounded guys in the parade. This doesn’t look good for me.” Summer 2017.
I can understand why someone would ask who the good guys were in WW1.
It’s a question that shows a childlike understanding of war in general, but that’s how war is often sold. A team sport with body bags.
That said, WW1 is hard to pick a “good” side. It was a mess of a war, but no side was particularly vile when compared to the others…
But for a US president, there’s only one valid answer.
A US president can admit that Vietnam was not a shining moment is US history, but the world wars? No.
I had a very high lottery number
ah yes. that’s how lottery works
During the Vietnam War there was a draft, so you could end up being conscripted and shipped halfway around the world to fight it. One way to avoid getting drafted was a lottery where, if you picked a high enough random number, you could avoid being drafted.
The thing is, Trump never picked a lottery number. Instead, he got five draft deferments, 1 medical and 4 educational. A lot of rich people at the time were able to avoid military service alltogether by getting a doctor to sign off that you had a sketchy illness. In Trump’s case, it was bone spurs, which apparently healed right up after the Vietnam War ended. Trump kept his 1-Y deferments until after 1972, when he was reclassified 4-F (permanently ineligible for service). By claiming he got a “high lottery number” Trump makes it sound like staying out of Vietnam was an amazing stroke of luck. That was just another lie. Trump had powerful friends and family intervene for him. Luck had nothing to do with it.
Dodging the draft was the most moral action, after fragging your officer and joining the PAVN. Of course Trump only did it because it coincidentally happened to line up with what served him, but at least he didnt use his connections to pilot a bomber or something.
🏅"Could have committed more atrocities"
I’m a PATRIOTIC Republican who PROUDLY wears the American Flag on my Shorts and Truck and TRUMPS RIGHT! Our Soldiers are LOSERS AND SUCKERS!
Ok, but 1. fuck John McCain that ghoulish piece of shit is in hell lmao. 2. Trump’s point about soldiers who die on the other side of the planet, fighting for the profits of people like Trump, is absolutely valid. I have no idea what that thought is even doing in an imperialist’s brain.
I have no idea what that thought is even doing in an imperialist’s brain.
Making occasional anti-war gestures and comments muddies the water enough for Libertarian-minded types to support him. It’s the same reason Biden occasionally criticized Netanyahu, it’s all theater.
