Posted on 05/03/2003 9:22:02 PM PDT by ConservativeMan55
Taking the 'Victory' Out of City's Victory Parades By THOM SHANKER
ASHINGTON, May 3 — Charles Lindbergh, John Glenn and Norman Schwarzkopf were among those who led triumphant processions along lower Broadway's Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan, where throngs also greeted American forces after World Wars I and II. New York's mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, looking for a reprise, wants to hold a mammoth parade to salute veterans of the Iraq war with ticker tape and cheers.
While Bush administration officials say they welcome the offer, they also say they worry about how such events may be perceived around the world and are urging a different kind of parade for a different kind of war fought in a very different era.
Rather than victory parades that might appear to be gloating, the Pentagon would prefer celebrations that emphasize the recognition of fighting forces' accomplishment in toppling a dictator. It is considering setting up a task force to help organize that kind of postwar parade, whether in New York or elsewhere.
Unlike previous conflicts, administration and Pentagon officials are now portraying the second gulf war as just one battle, however large and well fought, in what they have warned would be a long campaign against global terror.
Beyond helping coordinate events to honor those who fought in Iraq, the task force would advise organizers how to convey the complicated messages expressed Thursday by President Bush, who declared the end of significant combat operations in Iraq, and by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who said the same of Afghanistan.
President Bush, in flight suit, flight helmet and oxygen mask, made a dramatic landing aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, where he exulted in the bravery and battlefield successes of American fighting forces. He also warned of substantial unfinished business in Iraq, and of threats to national security lurking elsewhere.
Large-scale parades are possible in New York and Washington, among other cities, perhaps around the Fourth of July, officials said. After the first gulf war in 1991, those two cities held parades within days of each other in June, three months after Iraqi troops were driven from Kuwait.
"What you want to do now is very different than in '91," one senior Pentagon official said. "These are not victory parades or events. These are recognition for the troops — and to say thanks to the American people for supporting them."
Just as President Bush's speech aboard the carrier and Mr. Rumsfeld's comments in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan were meant for a number of audiences — troops still in harm's way, the American public and the allies — so too will events saluting the troops be viewed through a prism of global politics.
The Bush administration, which has shown great discipline in preparing its public message during the campaign against terror, wants the world to see an America honoring liberation, freedom and democratic ideals, and not gloating over a fallen adversary in the Arab world.
Mayor Bloomberg, speaking April 25 on his weekly radio show, said he called Paul D. Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary, to express his desire to hold a giant parade "to honor the troops" in New York City. The mayor said it was likely that private sponsors would underwrite the event. City Hall officials also placed a call to the White House, mayoral aides said.
"I don't think New York needs anybody's approval to do it," said one senior Defense Department official. "New York knows how to throw a big event. We are confident that no matter what they decide, it will be a wonderful celebration."
While the Pentagon is prepared to advise on the parades, and the White House will certainly play a substantial role in the major homecomings, there is a realization, even a desire, that events honoring the troops should be held at hundreds of locations across the United States and at bases overseas, as well as in the countries that contributed forces to the war.
"Some consideration is being given to a parade in Washington, too, so clearly there is a sense that this should be about more than one or two events," one official said. Televised concerts also are under discussion.
Victoria Clarke, the Pentagon spokeswoman, confirmed that Mr. Rumsfeld has spent "significant time talking about this and thinking it through" with Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Peter Pace, the vice chairman; and Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the commander of allied forces in Iraq, as well as with the White House.
"One thing they wanted to make very clear is that this is about the young men and women who have served and fought and done the hard work," Ms. Clarke said.
The events are likely to include salutes for Americans who served in the war in Afghanistan as well, Pentagon officials said.
"It's all about saying thanks to the troops, and in recognition for what they've done — not just those who served in Iraq but who served in Afghanistan," said one Pentagon official involved in the early stages of planning. "But we also will say thanks to the American people for supporting them. The American people never went wobbly on us."
The planning for these events is still in very early stages, and officials said there were no specific examples of what images and themes the hosts would be urged to emphasize.
Even with the declarations that major combat operations are over in Iraq and Afghanistan, continuing commitments of forces to stabilize both nations mean that a substantial number of troops may not be coming home soon.
One military officer said the Pentagon was cognizant that tens of thousands of troops at the vanguard of the thrust toward Baghdad, in particular members of the Third Infantry Division and the First Marine Expeditionary Force, might not be home until mid to late summer.
"So I think we're going to see multiple parades welcoming them home at different times," the military officer said.
One Pentagon official said the Defense Department already has received inquiries from "thousands of towns and cities and organizations and companies and individuals who say they want to do something to recognize the troops."
In 1991, New York City lionized forces returning from the first Persian Gulf war with a blizzard of ticker tape during the day and a fireworks celebration at night that included a pyrotechnic simulation of a Patriot missile shooting down an Iraqi Scud.
In Washington, the first President Bush laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery, which was followed by an overflight of an F-117 Stealth fighter to kick off a parade that included troops, tanks, missiles, artillery pieces and even an unmanned reconnaissance plane.
Administration doesnt want to use victory because that indicates that the war in Iraq is over. It isnt. You will have noticed that Bush didnt claim the war was over in his recent speech, just that the active phase was over. If he declares victory and says the war is over, then we are forbidden by international law to launch a cruise missle or drop a bomb on a home he knows to be housing Saddam or one of his kids. Additionally, it would mean that all prisoners of war would have to be released immediately even if they have valuable intelligence on WMD or the search for our pilot Speicher.
While there may be some concern that using the term victory would suggest "conquest" to those in the middle east and other places around the world, the real issue is that there are real world consequences to claiming victory over Iraq. We are still at war.
Sounds like a huge celebration to me. (Remember, this is the NY Times, with all the news that's fit to twist.)
But what the idiot propagandists at the NY Times overlook is the obvious problem of what to do about prisoners that any declaration of victory would by Geneva Conventions require immediate release.
No way I, for one, want islamofascist al Qaeda killers on the loose or to give socialist demagogues any reason to whine.
Sorry I got so heated. It is one of the coolest features on this site. If you have been on many message boards you know the design of this site is AWESOME.
Rather than victory parades that might appear to be gloating, the Pentagon would prefer celebrations that emphasize the recognition of fighting forces' accomplishment in toppling a dictator.We should call them CRUSADER PARADES. Or ISLAM BITES ASS parades.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.