As the tanks rolled past the near empty stands...

[Scooter]

... their wheels were squeaking. Could not the $45 million they squandered on this fiasco have at least included a can of WD-40?

[datsunaholic]

Being a wet blanket, tank tracks have always squeaked. Nature of tracked vehicles. WD40 or any other "light" oils attracts dirt which accelerates wear on the road wheels and sprockets. Usually they use a "dry track" system much like bulldozers, because they operate in dirty or sandy environments. Dirt sticks to oil or grease like glue. Tanks aren't designed to operate on paved roads, but the rubber track treads help a little in preventing the excessive damage to the roads you see following Russian and Chinese tank parades.

[BoSoxGal]

I actually feel a little bit bad for those troops who got pulled from training and family time to put on this spectacle and have such a lame audience from the citizens they serve. I hope they understand why the parade was largely boycotted given it was presided over by a fascist dictator.

[Joe Guy]

Nice photo from here at SF Ocean Beach....

source

[liberty]

The choice of Washington, D.C., for a parade that honors the Army was probably a bad one. While I don't doubt that many in D.C. believe the Army does not deserve a parade—some even saying it serves as an occupying force maintaining the current order—it’s yet another reason why the capital should be moved away from D.C. and the territory returned to its rightful owner, the state of Maryland. A new district should be established in a more central location in the country to provide better access for more citizens of the United States.

The nation has grown, but the capital is still located on the East Coast. It should be relocated to a more central part of the country to make it more accessible to more of the people.

[liberty]

Yesterday’s Army birthday parade should’ve been a moment of pride—a national “thank you” to the men and women who’ve worn the uniform and stood guard for our country through generations. Instead, empty seats told a different story.

Whatever the reasons—weather, timing, politics—it doesn't change this truth: The U.S. Army has given more to this nation than we could ever repay. Millions have served, sacrificed, and bled so we could enjoy the freedoms many now take for granted. They deserve more than silence.

Whether you agreed with every mission or not, the people in those uniforms took an oath to defend us all. They carried it out with honor. And they keep doing it—around the world, in every time zone, every day.

I won’t forget. And I hope that in the future, more Americans won’t either.

[Scooter]

Someone who knows a lot more about this stuff than I do (and actually watched some of it) said that the marching was incredibly sloppy. Out of step, poor posture, unkempt uniforms. Plus, no one looked left and saluted when passing the reviewing stand.

He said that there was NO WAY this would have happened unless they were so ordered.

IOW, the U.S. Department of the Army just gave Trump an enormous middle finger for a birthday present.

[MajGenl.Meade]

I didn't watch it - but in a snippet on the news the bit with the WW2 Shermans etc and the guys in WW2 uniforms was kinda cool. And although the 1st Cav marching band didn't look up to the review stand (hard to play them musical thingies pointed up to the left) the geezer at the front with the stick did salute and the amorphous blob with the unpleasant bored look on his face (ie Drumpf) saluted back. Looked even more like an ass.

Hegseth looks like a guy sitting on permanent piles.

Vanity of vanities.
All is vanity

[BoSoxGal]

Someone who knows a lot more about this stuff than I do (and actually watched some of it) said that the marching was incredibly sloppy. Out of step, poor posture, unkempt uniforms. Plus, no one looked left and saluted when passing the reviewing stand.

He said that there was NO WAY this would have happened unless they were so ordered.

IOW, the U.S. Department of the Army just gave Trump an enormous middle finger for a birthday present.

I saw just a few clips on the news that were unavoidable - otherwise I was boycotting the thing.

But I will say that some of the units marching which I observed struck me as not top shelf - as in, my high school Army JROTC end of year parade involved much tighter formations with snappier marching and that was under the hot Arizona sun.

So I would frankly believe that there was some kind of order to the troops to play it casual, or else the Army is a very different place now than it was in the 1980s - and my experience was not limited to my HS JROTC, but also to spring break trips living on Fort Huachuca and seeing active duty Army units drilling there.

[Big RR]

From what I understand from some of my prior colleagues, other than for some crack drill teams (for funeral and such) there is very little drill practiced after basic training in the current army. I a way it makes sense; much of the drill comes from times when large units of tropps used them in battlefield maneuvers, something not really used all that much anymore. It teaches recruits discipline and teamwork, but has little value afterwards given the jobs and missions of most soldiers. But, of course, Cadet Bone Spurs knows better...

[liberty]

From what I understand from some of my prior colleagues, other than for some crack drill teams (for funeral and such) there is very little drill practiced after basic training in the current army. I a way it makes sense; much of the drill comes from times when large units of tropps used them in battlefield maneuvers, something not really used all that much anymore. It teaches recruits discipline and teamwork, but has little value afterwards given the jobs and missions of most soldiers. But, of course, Cadet Bone Spurs knows better...

It's been a long time since I was on active duty, but from what I remember, once I left basic training, I never marched again. We did form up for ceremonies from time to time, but we didn't march to them. However, I still remember all the movements, and I can still execute them all—thank God. It's been almost half a century now. When the time comes that I can no longer remember those movements, I'll know the end is near.

[Bicycle Bill]

The nation has grown, but the capital is still located on the East Coast. It should be relocated to a more central part of the country to make it more accessible to more of the people.

I dare say there are far more people living within, let's say, a four-hour drive of Washington DC than there are within a similar four-hour drive to St. Louis, Chicago, or the Twin Cities — so that argument is invalid.

-"BB"-

[Joe Guy]

....It's been a long time since I was on active duty......

Yeah, it's been quite a while since the War for Southern Independence.