Vets deserve more than parades and promises

Memorial Day has become, somewhat belatedly perhaps, a time to honor the living as well, those who served and came home with wounds seen and unseen. A time to honor veterans of Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan for whom there were no ticker tape parades upon their return to a deeply divided nation.

No, this nation has never been Russia or North Korea, which mark the anniversaries of their military victories with giant displays of their current military might.

Well, not until now, anyway.

Now the current occupant of the White House, who has long had an issue with fallen soldiers, and more recently even avoided the dignified transfer arrivals at Dover Air Force Base of those killed while on military duty, wants a giant display of military might in Washington on a day that happens to be both Flag Day and his 79th birthday.

But this June 14, a day originally planned to mark the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army with a festival along the National Mall, Trump has now given himself a starring role. The festival has grown into a parade with 28 Bradley fighting vehicles and Stryker armored vehicles, four Paladin howitzers, towed artillery and multiple infantry squad vehicles, according to an Army spokesperson. It will include the usual military flyover but this time with the addition of some 50 military helicopters. And a member of the Army’s Golden Knights will parachute down to the Ellipse to present Trump with a folded flag.

The Army estimates the cost of the extravaganza at $25 million to $45 million.

And if Trump has his way, it certainly won’t be the last such display of military might. Earlier this month the president said he would rename May 8 as “Victory Day for World War II,” a day widely celebrated in Europe as V-E Day. Of course, it wasn’t the end of World War II at all, and to say so dishonors the thousands of Americans who continued to fight and die in the Pacific theater until August.

And Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day, he vowed to rename, “Victory Day for World War I,” explaining in a Truth Social post, “We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything. … We are going to start celebrating our victories again!”

Lost in the shuffle of all that celebrating of long-ago victories and conspicuous displays of current-day military hardware is the nation’s ongoing obligation to care for its living veterans, especially those who depend on the government for services they have been promised — care that is congressionally mandated.

The Trump administration thus far successfully has pushed for increases in military expenditures — largely for shipbuilding, munitions, and a missile shield system dubbed Golden Dome. But Trump has also vowed, “We love our veterans. We’re gonna take good care of them.” The truth of that statement, however, remains elusive.

The Department of Government Efficiency had planned to cut Veterans Affairs by some 80,000 jobs. The administration has acknowledged a target of at least 70,000 in the months ahead.

The administration insists it is increasing veteran benefits by some 4% this year but not necessarily within the VA system.

But it’s not just personnel on the line. Among the many research contracts halted in Trump’s assault on Harvard is a project at Harvard Medical School on assessing the likelihood of suicides by veterans in the emergency department. It’s just one instance where Trump’s vendetta against the Ivies might well cost vets’ lives.

A recent investigation by ProPublica found alarm bells being sounded all over the VA system over the ending of clinical trials for head and neck cancers, kidney disease, and traumatic brain injuries.

This nation owes its veterans more than pretty words, empty promises, and parades. And it owes them respect for their service whether the wars they fought were won or lost, popular on the home front or not.

On this day set aside for remembering those who never came home, let us also vow to provide care and comfort to those who did.