It is altogether fitting that the nation should honor the 250th anniversary of the United States Army on June 14, 2025. That’s a judgment that was shared by the Biden administration, under which planning for the recognition of the Army began.

The United States could not survive without men and women willing to give and risk that last full measure of devotion to defeat foreign enemies. The world is filled with serpents and vultures. The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must is the iron law of international relations.

Paying homage to our military, however, should still be informed by moderation. Extravagance should be eschewed. Resources are limited. An equal if not superior way of expressing our gratitude for men and women in the armed forces is generously funding the Department of Veterans Affairs, providing support and compensation for victims of Agent Orange, radiation poisoning or cancer from atomic testing and toxic exposure to burn pits including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The parade on the National Mall today happens to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. Does that coincidence explain the estimated eye-popping $45 million cost? The military takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the occupant of the White House.

A big chunk of the parade budget will be diverted to street repairs in Washington, D.C. When Pierre Charles L’Enfant designed the street layout of the capital in 1791, he did not envision 120,000-pound M1 Abrams battle tanks rolling down Constitution Avenue. Even with occasional protective metal plates, street damage is likely to reach $16 million.

Memorial Day and Veterans Day holidays already salute those who serve in our armed forces. We should not ape Prussia. It was disparaged as “not a state with an army but an army with a state.”

Let us remember that President Abraham Lincoln electrified and inspired the military with his 272-word Gettysburg Address that required nothing other than a brilliant mind and magnanimous character.

— From Tribune News Service