Parades Over People

Forbes

a day ago

Soldier receiving pin.
I served in Vietnam as an infantry paratrooper. I spent 25 years in uniform, both active duty and National Guard. I believed in the mission - even when this country didn't believe in me. I put on that uniform knowing I'd be seen differently as a Black man, as someone who had to prove more to be treated the same. But I still served. I showed up. And yes, I am proud to have done it.
But the current political and economic landscape is making it challenging to maintain that same sense of pride today.
Last month, the Army held a $45 million parade to mark its 250th birthday. While framed as a tribute to service, the extravagant event appeared to center largely on spectacle rather than genuine appreciation for those in uniform. During the parade, soldiers were sent to monitor peaceful protests in Los Angeles. Others stood watch at the southern border with no clear mission. Some were positioned behind podiums like stagehands at a campaign rally.
Meanwhile, veterans face significant hardships. Many are sleeping on the street, children are missing meals, and whole communities are lacking adequate resources to function sustainably. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), more than 33,000 veterans experience homelessness on any given night. At the same time, the USDA reports that nearly 9 million children are food insecure in the United States, many regularly missing meals. Across the nation, infrastructure is deteriorating—roads are crumbling, and local healthcare facilities struggle to stay open, often due to funding shortages.
There were many opportunities that $45 million could've have been utilized for to contribute to the betterment of our nation. Those funds could've provided lunch for children, sheltered homeless veterans, and even improved the infrastructure and living conditions of underserved communities where individuals often face challenges due to lack of access to capital. Instead, it paid for a parade.
That's the cost of forgetting what service really means.
Repeatedly, we're told that there aren't funds for assistance programs such as Medicaid and food stamps or for vital infrastructure like housing and schools. Basic care for the people who've sacrificed their lives for this country is difficult to obtain even though we are witnessing millions of dollars go towards insignificant matters.
This same administration wants to cut job programs at the Economic Development Administration, shut down the Minority Business Development Agency that helps entrepreneurs of color, strip funding from the CDFI Fund, which brings capital to places banks won't go, and claw back billions from the Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, even though it targets pollution in communities that breathe the dirtiest air.
It's interesting to see we have sufficient funds when it involves tax breaks for the wealthy or organizing a $45 million parade. This stark contrast in funding priorities reveals a troubling disconnect from genuine public service.
I still remember standing on the battlefield - heart racing and adrenaline pumping - not for glory or politics, but for the freedom of a country that had yet to grant me full freedom, and for the person next to me. That was the service. That was the job. It had nothing to do with parades or cameras. It was about showing up to defend this country even if I did not understand why and for people when it mattered.
This? This isn't it.
Service is supposed to be about people, care, sacrifice, and showing up when it's hard. When I wore the uniform, I wouldn't have imagined that troops would turn into props and that patriotism would be reduced to performance. We've lost track of what our country represents and until we remember it, no amount of fireworks or marching bands is going to bring us back.
I'm still proud of my years of service and believe deeply in the ideals the uniform represents. That pride will never fade. But I cannot celebrate what it has become—not until this nation commits to serving all its people with the dedication we have shown to power.
So today, I won't salute empty gestures. I won't pose for photo ops. Instead, I'll speak a truth that needs airing:
Shame.