Why Doesn’t The US Have Military Parades?
为什么美国没有阅兵式？
中文概述：
美国阅兵历史概述
需要注意的是，美国历史上曾有一段时间进行盛大的阅兵活动。并非说他们从未参与过阅兵活动。我们来看看美国曾经举办的一些阅兵仪式。
1953年，为了迎接德怀特·艾森豪威尔总统的就职典礼，一场就职阅兵盛况空前地展开。约22,000名军事人员参与了这场盛会，而且还展示了一门能发射核弹头的大炮。
1919年，即第一次世界大战于1914年爆发、1918年结束的前一年，由约翰·J·珀金斯将军率领的美国海军陆战队在纽约第五大道上举行了游行。
1942年的陆军日阅兵是在纽约第五大道上举行的，超过三万名男女士兵参加。这场阅兵被誉为二战期间的第一次重大军事展示，持续了长达十一个小时。
1961年为庆祝约翰·F·肯尼迪总统的就职而举行的阅兵式上，水手和士兵乘坐海军舰艇沿宾夕法尼亚大道行进，车辆后方拖曳着数十枚导弹。此外，1865年3月24日和25日还举行了一场盛大检阅活动，由安德鲁·约翰逊总统组织，旨在正式检阅结束内战敌对行动的部队。
1991年，为庆祝波斯湾战争的胜利举行了一场盛大的阅兵式。活动上展示了隐形战斗机飞机和坦克。最后，还有烟火表演吸引了额外的60万人前来观看，使得观众总数超过80万。超过8,000名军人参加了这场阅兵。
为什么美国停止举行阅兵式？（为什么美国不阅兵？）
从美国的阅兵历史来看，停止举行阅兵式的主要原因是没有了战争。大多数举行的阅兵表演都是为了纪念战斗的胜利或结束。由于现在没有世界大战或内战，士兵们不再需要与任何敌对国家的士兵进行战斗，因此对军队进行检阅的需求已经消失。
人们认为，举行阅兵需要消耗大量资金和资源来组织和执行。因此，这将是对国家资源的浪费。此外，阅兵式大多在极权主义或独裁国家举行。由于美国是一个民主国家，不需要压迫其公民，所以没有必要举行这样的阅兵式。
他们认为，由于美国是世界大国中最强大的国家，它不需要通过展示其军事实力来显示其优势。不需要模仿其他国家。别人在做某事并不意味着美国必须也这样做。
英文原文：
A military parade consists of the arrangement of soldiers in a manner that restricts their movement. It includes acts of maneuvering like drilling or marching. Military parades are mainly ceremonial activities. Before now, and till the 19th-century, soldiers engaged in armed conflicts and wars while in formation.
So, why doesn’t the US have military parades?
A military parade is a ceremony where the military display their armory in an organized formation showcasing their uniforms, drills, and some of their sophisticated weapons. Before this time, the US had lots of military parades. However, it no longer has such military parades. The reason for that is that there are no more wars that require the US to carry out military parades.
The History Of US Military Parade
It is essential to note that the US once had eras, where they carried out massive military parades. It is not as if they were never involved in military parades before this time. Let us take a look at when the US participated in Military parades.
In 1953, there was an inaugural parade for President Dwight Eisenhower. About 22,000 military service members got involved in this parade, and a cannon that can fire a nuclear warhead was also in display. It was the most elaborate inaugural pageant ever held in the history of the USA.
In 1919, the year preceding World War 1 that began in 1914 and ended in 1918, the US Marines led by General John J. Pershing marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City. There were about 25,000 arrayed in their full battle attires who took part in the parade, and they did it twice within a week.
There was the 1942 Army Day Parade, which saw more than thirty thousand men and women March down Fifth Avenue in New York City. It received the tag as the first significant military display during the war (WWII). It lasted for about eleven hours.
There were also victory parades that celebrated the end of the war, and the 82nd Airborne Division under General James M. Gavin performed an incredible display also down the same Fifth Avenue in New York City where the parade held during the war.
The 1961 parade for the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy witnessed sailors and soldiers aboard navy boats with dozens of missiles towed along Pennsylvania Avenue. Also, on March 24th and 25th of 1865, there was the parade for the grand review of the Armies. The parade organized by President Andrew Johnson was to mark the end of the civil war hostilities and to review the troops formally.
In 1991, there was a victory parade to celebrate the end of the Persian Gulf War. On display were Stealth Fighters planes, which passed overhead of about 200,000 people and tanks. The Patriot missiles stole the ground display. Later on, fireworks were on display, which now attracted extra 600,000 persons making it a total of nothing less than 800,000 spectators. More than 8,000 troops participated in this particular parade. They marched down the Constitution Avenue of Washington, DC.
Why Did Military Parades Stop In The US?
From the history of military parade in the US, the primary reason that would come to mind for stopping military parade in the US is that there are no more wars. Most of the military shows that took place were to mark victories from battles or the end of a fight. Since there are no more World War or civil wars that soldiers have to engage in combat with the soldiers of any enemy state, the need for a review of the Armies became extinct.
Furthermore, President Donald Trump had a setback with his proposed fourth of July military parade as a celebration in which all Americans can show their appreciation to the men and women in uniform. It is safe to say from the reasons of those who opposed it that another reason for the US not having a military parade is cost.
The people believe that the military parade takes a lot of money and resources to organize and execute. Therefore, it would be a waste of the nation’s resources to budget for and complete such a project. Also, military parades mostly hold in totalitarian or dictatorship countries. Since the US is a democratic State and need not oppress its citizens, there is no need for such parades.
They believe that since the US is the highest or top the rank of World power; it need not show others that it is dominant by the display of its military strength. There is no need to mimic other countries. The fact that others are doing it does not mean the US must do it.
Conclusion
Flowing from the earlier discussion, we can, therefore, conclude that, although the US had military parades in time past, they do not have it anymore. The reasons are that it is costly, they are the World power who need not prove its military strength, they operate a democratic system of government, and the wars are over. These are why the US doesn’t have military parades.
The national celebrations that had military parades stopped after 1991. The American state no longer saw the need to waste such a tremendous amount of tax payer’s money to continue to carry out these parades that were so expensive.
