Deborah Levine
DL Opinion columns

Dad Wouldn’t Approve of Big Parade – by Deborah Levine

originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press 

June 14 is a big day for me, one that is dear to my heart. No, it’s not the parade in DC that celebrates Flag Day and President Trump’s birthday. So I won’t need the nearly $45 million dollars that the parade for the army’s 250th anniversary will cost. And then there’s the $10 million for road repairs from dozens of tanks, rocket launchers, missiles and other military vehicles as well as 6,600 U.S. Army troops. My day will be relatively simple, commemorating my father’s yahrzeit, the Jewish anniversary of his passing. 

While the parade celebrates President Trump’s 79th birthday, I will honor dad’s World War II service as a military intelligence officer assigned to interrogate Nazi POWs. Yes, I’m making a comparison of service here. And note that the originally scheduled Flag Day parade was supposed to be an inexpensive event at the National Mall with just 300 soldiers and civilians, the U.S. Army Band, four cannons and seating for only 120 attendees. 

Dad was a dedicated and loyal military man, but he was also a Chief Financial Officer and financial consultant to many large American corporations. He understood all about money, funding, loans and over-spending. If he hadn’t already passed away, this parade thing would have gotten some very stern words from him. He wouldn’t have been like the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who was skeptical about the parade’s cost and benefits, but bowed to the reasoning offered by Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Secretary of Defense. Hegseth maintains that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for thousands of Americans to see what a great opportunity it is to become part of our great military force.

In reality, military enlistment has already seen an increase with 2024 new enlistments 12.5% higher than in 2023. The Army actually exceeded its 2024 goal of new recruits. While some attribute the increase to political changes, the recovery in recruitment numbers began before Trump, due to recruitment reforms like bonuses, not politics. 

Note that there was an unusual 18% increase in women enlistments in 2024. I doubt that many women will be inspired by the parade to enlist. Hegseth hasn’t been welcoming in his back-and-forth views about women’s ability to serve in combat and his complaints of “woke” programs that put women on security teams.  And I wonder how many folks will want to participate in the military as they watch the federalized National Guard troops quell protesters in Los Angeles. If those 4,000 Guards aren’t off-putting enough, Trump has put what is a state-based military under his control, rather than their governor’s. And then, there’s the politicization and mobilization of 700 Marines from Camp Pendleton. Who’d want to be involved in what looks like a declaration of martial law?

And who’d be eager to enlist when they see how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) staff has been gutted? In 2024, the VA struggled to fill 66,000 vacancies and improve health care for the more than 9 million veterans it serves. With these new layoffs, including veterans, the VA will have many more vacancies. Further, the Veterans Suicide Crisis Line has about 800-900 of its 1,300 staff working remotely. What happens if the threat to end remote work comes to pass? How will the VA possibly manage the 60,000 calls per month needing help and 17.5 suicides per day? Talk about burn out!

Dad would be devastated seeing all this. Maybe I should turn off the TV on June 14, and postpone his yahrzeit to June 15. Father’s Day would be a much better day to honor him and his military service.

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