President Trump wants to celebrate the troops with a big, beautiful military parade through Washington, DC.
The Pentagon and White House officials are in discussions to hold a grand event this year featuring soldiers marching and tanks rolling down the streets of the nation’s capital to highlight America’s armed forces, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
The commander-in-chief has been pushing for an American military parade after being wowed at France’s Bastille Day celebration last summer in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Trump admitted being dazzled by an array of crisply dressed French troops marching down Avenue des Champs-Elysees accompanied by tanks and other armored vehicles, with F-16 fighter jets providing air power above and blowing streaks of blue, white and red smoke to represent the French flag.
Fulfilling the president’s wish became more of a priority when Trump personally discussed the matter during a Jan. 18 meeting with top generals at the Pentagon.
The attendees, who included Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford, took Trump’s wish as an order, officials told the Washington Post.
“The president wants to do something that highlights the service and sacrifice of the military and have a unifying moment for the country,” one official said.
No date has been set for the celebration.
The Pentagon reportedly prefers Veterans Day on Nov. 11 — which would coincide with the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.