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NEWS Sequestration, parades, Richard Gere, and the plague.

nittany03 said:
Well, there's this slight minor detail. Namely that we had that parade after . . . umm . . . what was it? Oh yeah . . . winning a fucking war.
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Oh really? It doesn’t take a PhD to realize that the concepts of winning and losing aren’t what they were in the 20th Century. In case you forgot, the US has been at war in the Middle East since about 1980. Eagle Claw, First Gulf of Sydria Incident, MNF Lebanon, AWACS assistance in shoot-downs, intercept and forced landing of Egyptian airliner, naval operation in Gulf of Sydria, Operation El Dorado Canyon, USS Stark, Operation Nimble Archer, Operation Earnest Will, Operation Praying Mantis, Desert Shield, Desert Strike, Desert Storm, Operation Provide Comfort, Operation Silver Anvil, Operations Northern/Southern Watch, Operation Gothic Serpant, Operation Assured Response, Operation Silver Wake, Operation Desert Fox, Operation Shepard Venture, Operation Infinate Reach, USS Cole, Khobar Towers, Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Yemen, Operation New Dawn, Operation Neptune Spear, Syria, Uganda, back to Iraq, and Hormuz Freedom of Navigation operation (2015). I glossed over the shoot down of an Iranian airliner, the capture of a few fast boats filled with USN sailors, and anything outside the the “war circle” that extends from Libya to Afghanistan and Syria to Uganda.

Now, maybe your effort in some of this was less than stellar, I can’t say, but me and most of the men and women I served with destroyed tons of enemy equipment, operated freely for years in enemy territory, deposed of three major despots, and stunned the entire region with our dedication to stability (remember the statement, “show them a few body bags and they will run home”?). You want a parade for victory - I say one for steadfastness and courage might be reasonable.
 
It might seem like no big deal to you - fantastic - and you might argue that the cost will be an insignificant rounding error, but from where I’m sitting I’ve been living the “we-can’t-find-$1,000-to-send-your-Sailor-to-a-much-needed-school” bit for too long now. When you have to have the metaphorical bake sale to take a squadron on a training detachment, or run each TAD request up to a flag officer, you start to get a little sensitive to frivolous expenses - especially those simply aimed at scratching a vainglorious itch.

Take the estimated $50 million* it’s gonna take for this dog and pony and address the growing homeless/destitute vet problem. Take the money and fund more doctor billets at VA hospitals. Take the money and distribute to MWRs. Take the money and do something productive that makes us as a nation better. This does not.

Confidence can afford to remain silent; insecurity must, and will be heard.

If you want/need a parade to feel good/validated/recognized for your contributions... then I've got nothing else to add - you and I probably just won’t find a middle to meet in.

Griz882 said:
I get it. Especially the budget part,
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I'm not sure you do.


*in inflation adjusted numbers ODS parade cost $21M. Just assume this will be more, huge even.
 
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It's pretty sad that we actually have a new timecard code for 'Government Shutdown' now.
 
xj220 said:
In terms of...Fleet Week, sure they cost a fair amount of money from the DoD but they have an inherent mobility that comes with them that other units do not. Ships are going to sail regardless so why not have them pull into a local port for a couple days for some fun. They do it overseas enough anyways...
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I briefed the 3 star for 3 Fleet Weeks in 2016. They ain’t cheap. Security, port fees, services, husbanding agent’s cut, receptions, and the rest add up to 7 figures plus for the bigger ones. That said, they give us tremendous bang for our buck especially in the cities that don’t already have a strong Navy presence.
 
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