Did you see it? I did.
The big beautiful parade. The 250th birthday celebration of the U.S. Army. The honor, the strength, the legacy. Pro-America. Peace through strength personified. In one fell swoop the U.S. Army shook off its Biden malaise, squared its shoulders, spit on the ground, and got its swagger back. It felt like the Reagan era.
I know. Because I was there.
In 1986, I was just a year removed from casting my first vote for Ronald Reagan. Earning a trip to Fort Benning, Ga., to become a U.S. Army paratrooper, I had the sense that this was a thing that would make me a part of something bigger than myself. It did. It was bigger-than-life-flag-waving-go-big-or-go-home thing.
And because it was the ‘80s, I drove to Benning playing the soundtrack to “Top Gun” as loud as I could. The literal soundtrack of bigger-than-life-flag-waving-go-big-or-go-home.
Fast forward to summer 2022 and the movie “Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel three decades in the making. Tom Cruise was back and flying with an attitude, moving like a bat out of hell, putting the mission first, protecting his wingman, and unabashedly American.
“Top Gun: Maverick” grossed over $1.4 billion, with some saying that in the wake of COVID shutdowns, it was “Top Gun: Maverick” – a movie devoid of wokeism and virtue signaling – that saved the movie theater industry. Every second of that movie made you proud to be an American and proud of the U.S. military.
Liberals? They hated it.
“Top Gun: Maverick is a success, so right-wing culture warriors are claiming it,” said liberal hack Matt Gertz. Or my favorite word salad from Jesse Hassenger, “Top Gun 2 is studiously ‘apolitical’ in the way that rightwingers love, because it allows them to claim just-plain-folks victory where white male/military dominance have no sociopolitical dimension….” Does anyone know what that even means?
I prefer the sentiments of Monica Crowley, who said of “Top Gun: Maverick,” "Even though it's set in 2022, it catapults us back to the mid-1980s, when we had a real President, men were men, and there was unabashed pride in America."
That was the ‘80s. That was the background sentiment of “Top Gun: Maverick.” The bigger-than-life-flag-waving-go-big-or-go-home decade.
And that was how I felt again this weekend as I watched historic events unfold on Constitution Avenue in our nation’s capital. Thousands of troops marching in formation, many wearing uniforms representing every U.S. conflict dating back to the Revolutionary War. Hundreds of military vehicles, including M1A2/Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, Apache gunships, towed howitzers, and a parachute jump by the Army's Golden Knights. There were bands, flags, salutes rendered, and fireworks above the Washington Monument. President Trump issued a proclamation declaring his intent to “pay tribute to every legend of liberty who sacrificed their life to keep America safe, sovereign, and free.”
I was transported to the ‘80s. Reagan was president. “Top Gun” music. Fort Benning. Airborne School. We have been set free to be bigger-than-life-flag-waving-go-big-or-go-home people again.
Once again, the liberal left hated it.
Asinine arguments about cost, tyranny and bravado were muttered in feeble attempts to mask the fact that the left so hates Trump that they can’t celebrate the U.S. Army. And maybe they just hate America. Why else would Flag Day and the U.S. Army birthday be the best time for the left to stage their “No Kings” protests?
Never mind that military parades in D.C. are not new. Never mind that hometown parades celebrating the military are a staple of American life. I’ve marched in them myself. It’s patriotism, it’s honor, it’s legacy.
The U.S. Army deserved a parade this weekend, but I believe the nation needed it. We needed it like a sick man needs medicine. It was like a shot of testosterone for the national soul. We needed to be reminded of the strength and dedication of our armed forces. We needed to wave flags and be mindful of who we are as a people. We needed our swagger back.
If Joe Biden and his cronies were still in office, they would have made a quick note about the Army’s birthday by addressing ghosts of systemic racism and extolling the virtues of a transgender servicemember, but Army recruiting would still be in the pits and military readiness downgraded.
No, thank you. I’ll take a parade any day of the week. Roll me some Abrams, fly me some gunships, march me some troops, wave me some flags!
The American audience was hungry to be both entertained and filled with the pride that comes from being an American. It’s OK to be proud of who we are. It’s absolutely right to flex the muscle of America, and doing so is not offensive.
What a breath of fresh air to hear “job well done” from leadership in a way that is unequivocal, balanced, conservative and compassionate all at the same time. What a pleasure to join with others to stand for the anthem and get misty-eyed when the flag waves.
It’s about having a mission in life and taking pride in the quality of our effort and its outcomes.
Don’t you love living here? I do! I always have. But it feels good to feel good again. What a pleasure to be told that we’re the good guys again. What a relief to feel relieved. It feels like Reagan. It feels like the ‘80s. It’s a whole batch of that bigger-than-life-flag-waving-go-big-or-go-home attitude.
Happy 250th Birthday, U.S. Army! Congratulations, America – it’s good to have you back.
Strike up the band. Let’s have another big beautiful parade!
