As military parades go, the celebration in Washington, D.C. turned out to be an innocuous affair and not the triumph of fascist pageantry its loudest critics feared. Soldiers paraded in period uniforms and old and modern equipment rumbled through the streets (and roared overhead) in sufficient quantity to satisfy most history buffs. Nary a uniformed coup plotter was to be found. But the event was expensive, expending tens of millions of dollars to celebrate the birthday of the Army (and the president) at a time when the federal government’s profligate ways already have its finances in dire straits. It was also a somewhat odd spectacle for a republic built on foundations that included suspicion of a strong military.

History on Parade

“Joined by tens of thousands of spectators, President Trump presided over a military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, a pageant of soldiers in Revolutionary War uniforms, Sherman tanks from World War II and heavy equipment from every modern military conflict,” reported Aaron Zitner, Joshua Jamerson, and Douglas Belkin of The Wall Street Journal.

The New York Post published video of troops marching in uniforms from the Revolution, the Civil War, both world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the present day.

If, like me, you’ve dragged a patient spouse (and an eager son) through weapons displays and air and space museums, it was like having a visiting exhibit roll down the road. That saved the price of admission for many people—except, of course, the parade wasn’t really free. As Reason‘s Billy Binion pointed out, the cost of the parade “is currently estimated to come out somewhere between $25 million and $45 million for an approximately 90-minute event.” And that doesn’t include the cost to repair what that equipment did to pavement, or to gather the leavings of participating horses, mules, and dogs. Repairing and gathering if anybody notices, that is—after all, it is Washington, D.C.

But another cost is incurred by whittling away at the country’s philosophical foundations when we unreservedly celebrate the military. While a national defense is necessary and the sacrifices of individual members of the military should be recognized, we should never forget the risks inherent in a large military—risks that preoccupied

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