Saturday’s military parade will be the first in D.C. since 1991’s Victory Celebration

Hundreds of thousands are expected to gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Saturday for a parade celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States Army. June 14, the date of the event, also happens to be the 79th birthday of President Trump.

Washington has not seen a full-scale military parade such as this in a generation. The last was 34 years ago. It was called the National Victory Celebration and timed to welcome returning veterans of the 100-day Persian Gulf War.

The war itself began with a surprise aerial assault launched against the Iraqi capital of Baghdad in January of 1991. The attack included a variety of missiles and manned aircraft and was timed to catch Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, though he was safely out of harm’s way that night.

Then-President George H.W. Bush had declared Iraq’s escalating aggression toward neighboring Kuwait a crime and vowed “this will not stand.” Moving swiftly to assemble a global coalition, he had the backing of the United Nations for the largest military alliance since World War II. Less than six months after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the allies quickly established air superiority, and on that clear night in January began what would be a short, sharp war producing a clear set of victors.

Swift conclusion for combat phase

After 100 days, the allied forces had driven the Iraqis out of occupied Kuwait, crossing the frontier into Iraq itself and moving toward Baghdad. Some on Bush’s national security team urged him to press his advantage, to eliminate Hussein and possibly stand up a democratic regime in Iraq. But the first President Bush demurred. The coalition had achieved its goals and suffered relatively minor casualties (Fewer than 400 Americans were killed in combat or in accidents over the course of “Operation Desert Storm”). Moreover, it had made a positive impression back home. Approval for the president reached 89% in a Gallup poll in February of that year.

As the attacks began from the sky, halfway around the globe, Americans watched live on CNN, the earliest of the 24-hour news channels, and the Persian Gulf War became the first war to be televised live, altering public perception.

No surprise then that Bush and his party wanted to extend the victory with a celebratory parade from the U.S. Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House and over the Memorial Bridge to the Arlington National Cemetery.

The enormous M1 Abrams tanks that had led the way to smashing the Iraqi army that spring led hundreds of vehicles and aircraft taking part in the parade, along with around 8,000 uniformed personnel.

The site and sounds of that parade on June 8, 1991, brought back memories for millions of Americans who remembered the victory parades that followed World War II in 1945: the speeches, the brass bands, troops standing bedecked in red, white and blue.

President Bush, himself a veteran of World War II, spoke eloquently of sacrifice at a morning event at Arlington National Cemetery. Later, he stood alone along the parade route, greeting approaching marchers led by Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, the commander of Operation Desert Storm. They saluted each other.

Relatively little controversy

There was a smattering of controversy about the 1991 parade — too militaristic, some said, too expensive at $12 million ($5 million of which was donated by Persian Gulf states and by some American companies that were major military suppliers such as Coca Cola).

Some anti-war protesters attempted to be disruptive, one woman climbed on a tank and another group splashed red paint on a parked Harrier jet. The “blood” was soon removed by a hose by Marines.

There were those in the crowd who could not help but comment on the contrast with the reception veterans had received returning from the Korean and Vietnam wars. Some gathered at the nearby Vietnam War Memorial Wall on which are etched the names of 55,000 Americans who died in that conflict.

“I served 1964 to 1984, U.S. Marine Corps, retired as a gunnery sergeant, and no, I don’t feel this is my parade,” said Thomas Moorehouse to NPR reporter Brian Naylor at the time. “I’m not looking for a parade. All I’m looking for now — 90% of Vietnam veterans are looking for at least one thing and that is respect. Respect.”

It would be a different story for the vets who came back from the Persian Gulf in 1991. Victory celebrations welcomed returning vets of that war in cities and towns from Bangor, Maine, to San Diego. Polls also showed the war was considered justified by a majority of Americans.

As for Bush, his peak political moment did not last. In the months ahead, the economy would soften and Bush would find himself with a challenge to his renomination in the GOP as well as multiple challengers on the the side and an unusually persuasive if independent candidate named H. Ross Perot. A year after the National Celebration Day, Perot would be leading in the national presidential polls for 1992.