Should Veterans Of The War In Iraq Have A Parade?

Sgt. Howard Acoff hugs his family as U.S. Army 1st Cavalry 3rd Brigade soldiers return home from deployment in Iraq at Fort Hood, Texas on December 24, 2011 (AP)

The last U.S. soldiers left Iraq ten days ago, as the nine-year, $800 billion-dollar war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives ended quietly. Days later, the country's fragile government threatened to collapse and bombs allegedly detonated by an al-Qaeda affiliated organization killed at least 65 people in Baghdad. Considering the elusiveness of "victory" in the war, the country's enduring turmoil, and the current war in Afghanistan, should there be a parade for the veterans of the Iraq War?

Staten Island City Councilmen and Republicans James Oddo and Vincent Ignizio believe a parade in Manhattan's Canyon of Hereos is our duty to the veterans. "To have a chance to honor them, I, for one, would want to be there to see the looks on their faces as the adulation sort of reverberates down that canyon," Oddo told CBS. "I think it would be an amazing thing."

Texas Governor and current GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry has used the lack of a planned parade as political ammunition against President Obama. "It really disturbs me that after nine years of war in Iraq, this president wouldn't welcome our many heroes home with a simple parade in their honor," Perry recently told a group in Iowa. He then added, ironically, "Mr. President, our soldiers come first, and it comes before party politics."

Mayor Bloomberg has said that the decision is out of his hands: "It's a federal thing that we really don't want to do without talking to Washington, and we'll be doing that." Washington D.C.'s mayor, Vincent Gray, also said that any decision to hold a parade wouldn't be made by his office.

A parade for veterans of the Gulf War that cost $5.2 million was criticized at the time for being too much like gloating. "That's a disturbing lack of humility," a retired Army brigadier general told a newspaper at the time. Military history professor Don Mrozek tells the AP that a parade wouldn't be wise from the military's point of view. "It's going to be a bit awkward to be celebrating too much, given how much there is going on and how much there will be going on in Afghanistan."

Parades could be held to honor the veterans years from now, as was the case in the Vietnam war, but those parades were designed to heal the wounds the soldiers endured from the public because they fought an unpopular, and had little to do with celebrating a victory.

A Times reporter ventured to Times Square shortly after the U.S. officially ended the war, and noted that unlike V-E Day or V-J Day, few people knew the fighting was over. Carl Muscarello, a retired NYPD officer and sailor who claimed to be the one kissing a nurse in Times Square on V-J Day in the iconic Life Magazine photo, said the comparison between the wars was not apt. “World War II was, in a sense, a popular war, in the sense that everyone was behind it…the enemy we're fighting today has not exactly surrendered." He added, “I knew the Iraq war was over...I’m glad the guys are coming home, but did we win the peace or lose it?”

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By Christopher Robbins in News on December 28, 2011 6:08 PM

Comments [rss]

aleXander hirka

phil ochs covered this decades ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
more parades, more propaganda, less truth - getting everyone ready for the next one.
not me!!

Brian Mastro

Just because the war sould never have happened doesnt mean we should not honor the brave men and women who fought it give them the parade

Lazio_Giggalo

Of course there should be a parade! These war veterans put their lives on the line to do the best job fighting a versatile enemy! They deserve a parade! The idiots that complain about the price should be prosecuted for treason! The didn't serve this country, no they are just laime and watch TV all night and growing Laimer! To those Iraqi War Veterans, THANK YOU for your bravery and integrity! Bravo!

It was certainly an illegal war but since the American Public put that aside and did not make the President and Congress bring back the troops holding those Government Officials responsible for lieing to the American Public in the first place! The War Veterans did what they were ordered to do, for Country and Honor!

Gregory A. Butler

They definitely deserve a parade - like the WW II vets (and UNLIKE the Korea and Vietnam vets) these guys actually WON the war they fought

Norik

Parade would be a waste of money. Use it for veterans benefits.

Joey Boots

As a 6 year US Army veteran I say no because the war is not over....a lot of these troops coming home from Iraq have already been or are soon going to Afghanistan.

ANGRYGOD11

Considering the recent bombings in Iraq, a parade makes no sense. By the time its arraigned, Iraq could be disintegrating into a bloody civil war. I have to wonder if the veterans would want to be in a parade when everything they tried to do fails through no fault of their own.

Starry Gordon

Since we have endless war, we should have endless parades. One a day, maybe.

Ian MacAllen

The lack of a parade is just another example of how politically naive Obama has been since coming to Washington. Obviously you hold a parade celebrating war heros for no other reason than to signal to the entire nation that you, as President, ended an unpopular war. A veterans' parade represents an important symbol, a symbol that any republicans would have exploited many times over already. And once again political neophyte Obama squanders a brilliant golden opportunity to demonstrate that he is the President of the United States. Yay for mediocrity.

ANGRYGOD11

So you recognize a parade is just a photo op for politicians and do not benefit the veterans. I agree.

NRafter530

Skip the parade and use the money for it to send veterans to college or job training programs.

TrollyMcTrollington

Yes there should be a parade.

Donald Rumsfeld should be hanged at the end of it.

Militant Conformist

As you know, ah, you go to march with the parade you have---not the parade you might want or wish to have at a later time

chris8lee

Time it to coincide with the "Gay Pride" parade in June..just sayin'...

Militant Conformist

Sure why not, it wouldn't hurt. Plus, it will give those who only give lip service to the cause of supporting the military a chance to be seen in their Red, White, and Blue finest. Won't do much for actually helping Veterans who need it but that's only a secondary concern from most of those guys

AndrewInDC

I just don't get who they're honoring. Unlike the First Gulf War, WWI or WWII, where the troops came home en masse (or at least in huge waves), the preponderance of the hundreds of thousands of troops who've fought in this war have already come home and dispersed. So you're going to honor .. who, exactly? The last 50k men who left? Why them over the ones who went in back in '03?

To me this seems much more like having a celebration after we handed control back over to Germany/Japan and stopped administering their areas.

Sugarbop

If we can freakin give a parade to a baseball team for winning a stupid game, we can give a parade to soldiers who RISKED THEIR LIVES EVERYDAY. It's very simple really, what's the problem?

Rocknrope

Ask a soldier what he'd rather have: help finding a job and help treating his post traumatic stress, or a parade. Let me know what you find out.

Dan Smith

1) Parades for Dora the Explorer and the Yankees are not financed by the federal government. The only real public cost is local police for security.

2) Why are these SI pols bitching about gov't spending, but insist on footing the bill for a parade? For a war that never made much sense? Tell me one time in the past 9 years where your livelihood was threatened by the Iraqis to warrant this circus.

3) See Rocknrope's comment.

Sugarbop

It wasn't the sodliers choice to start the war. They shouldn't be penalized for going over there and doing what they were told to do. In this country we honor such moronic things---yea, yea, yea, I know all about the cost--- BUT this, honoring these people who served our country, get squat. They will be going through a whirlwind of emotions and feelings coming back here, but maybe, just freakin maybe giving them a parade, where people will be cheering for them, instead of shooting at them will add a little happiness to their lives. My God, It's so frustrating, people have to drag this into a million different political directions. It's such bullshit.