The military parade to mark the Army’s 250th anniversary and its convergence with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday are combining to create a peacetime outlier in U.S. history. Yet it still reflects global traditions that serve a range of political and cultural purposes.

Millions of American soldiers have marched in military parades since the Civil War, which marked the tradition as a fundamental ritual of American unity.

In democracies, military parades are meant to commemorate, whereas in authoritarian regimes they’re meant to intimidate.” Those were the words of Ohio State University historian Matthew Frakes, and they rang true on June 14,

An occasional parade can be a lot of fun. But let's remember the potential costs—and not just in terms of dollars, but also to the foundations of the country. The post Parades Are Great, but We Shouldn't Venerate the Military appeared first on Reason.com.

Washington, D.C. is gearing up for one of the largest military parades in recent history as the U.S. Army marks its 250th anniversary this Saturday.