6-11-25

Years ago, in the 80’s to be exact, I was given the opportunity to do something

that was edgy and radical…..at least it felt that way to me……I earned a slot to go

to Fort Benning, Georgia to become a US Army Paratrooper……I had no idea what

I was getting into….. but I had the sense that it was that thing…..that full-on hard-

charging take-no-prisoners thing that would not only be cool to do but would

have some level of notoriety to it……. but would also make me a part of

something bigger than myself…….it did……and it was a great experience…..and I

distinctly remember that on the way to Fort Benning I was driving across the

Alabama line listening to the soundtrack to the original “Top Gun” just as loud as I

could…….why? Because it was THE soundtrack for doing anything that could be

described as that full-on hard-charging take-no-prisoners thing! ….

Fast forward to the Summer of 2022, Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel that was 3

decades in the making, Tom Cruise was back and playing his spot-on character of

Pete Mitchell who still flies with an attitude and who is loved by those he leads

and hated by those who try to lead him….highly decorated, still somewhat cocky,

never achieved the rank of his peers, wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he

wasn’t behind the stick of a fast mover…..Top Gun: Maverick put Cruise’s

character in the position of having to teach the next generation what it means to

fly like a bat out of hell, put the mission first, while still protecting their

wingman…….Top Gun: Maverick became the second highest grossing movie of all

time for a worldwide total of over $1.4Billion…..some say that in the wake of

Covid shutdowns that Top Gun: Maverick saved the movie theater industry…..that

one movie grossed $90million in its second weekend!……

So what’s the big deal? ….well, Top Gun: Maverick is a movie that avoided the

massive amounts of wokeism and virtue signaling so prevalent in today’s

Hollywood……it gave the brush off to China and even put a Taiwanese Flag on the

back of Pete Mitchells flight jacket which ticked off the CCP to the point that it

was banned in China and yet still exceeded all expectations……Virtually every

second of that movie made you proud to be an American, and proud of the US

Military……..and I’m for that. …..but liberals? They hated it……

Liberal hack Matt Gertz writing for Media Matters wrote a hit piece in which he

said, “Top Gun: Maverick is a success, so right-wing culture warriors are claiming

it”…….Gertz also quickly pointed out that the movie never really says “America is

good” so it’s not truly a “pro-America” movie……But listen, I agree with

conservative pundit Monica Crowley who said very succinctly that Top Gun:

Maverick's success with the audience was because, in her words, "Even though

it's set in 2022, it catapults us back to the mid-1980s, when we had a real

President, men were men, and there was unabashed pride in America."

So, in that vein…..This coming weekend is a big deal…..it’s a big deal marked by a

big beautiful parade….and I’m good with that ……to be specific this coming

weekend is the 250 th birthday of the US Army…..250 years of service and

sacrifice…..and I’ve got to tell you, I wish I was there to see it!.....The parade will

be just one major event in a day full of celebrations in our nations capital……there

will be an Army fitness competition on the National Mall that morning…..an Army

birthday festival on the National Mall from midday to 6pm….and the parade will

kick off on Constitution Avenue at 6:30 that evening….it is scheduled to involve

thousands of troops marching in formation, wearing uniforms representing every

U.S. conflict dating back to the Revolutionary War, …... Each war will be

represented by 60 troops in period costume, followed by 400 troops from that

same unit in their modern-day battle dress uniforms…..More than 100 military

vehicles are expected to be involved, including M1A2/Abrams tanks; Black Hawk,

Apache and Chinook helicopters, Bradley fighting vehicles and more, according to

a handout from the Army…..The parade will be followed by a parachute jump by

the Army's Golden Knights, plus a concert and fireworks……Trump is expected to

speak, delivering what the White House says will be "remarks celebrating 250

Years of the U.S. Army’s exceptional service, significant achievements, and

enduring legacy,"

But of course, the liberal left is having a classic meltdown over it…..it’s too

expensive they say…..it’s what tyrants do they say……this is just Trump trying to

flex his Alpha-male power to the world they say…..and my favorite….the low blow

tripe being foisted by so many in the media…..It’s just Trump wanting a military

parade on his own birthday…..sure, that’s what it is ……Trump’s birthday and the

Army birthday do happen to fall on the same day…..but anyone who believes that

an Abrams tank is going to roll down Constitution Avenue with a Happy Birthday

Donald banner on its barrel is just so deep into their Trump Derangement

Syndrome that they can’t see straight……

But some may ask, and it’s a fair question: why are we doing this?.....why are we

going to the trouble, the expense, the hassle, of putting on an epic military

parade……my first answer is “why not?”…..why should we not celebrate our US

Army…..and who said we can’t have a military parade……it’s a tradition that has

roots right here in Sweet Home Alabama…..in the aftermath of WWII a

Birmingham veteran named Raymond Weeks had an idea to honor veterans of

the war that he had just served in……in 1946 he led a delegation to Washington,

DC to meet with General Eisenhower to get support for a national holiday to

recognize veterans…..and in 1947 the first national parade was hosted in

Birmingham, Alabama and that same parade has been a part of our culture for the

past 78 years straight…..Birmingham’s parade, filled with veterans, active military,

military vehicles, floats, bands, and more, is the oldest, and one of the biggest

annual parades to honor our veterans in the nation……I’ve marched in it

myself….in uniform……It’s a great event….and it’s a source of community pride….a

chance to rally around the honor and support that we feel for our veterans and

their military service…..and no one questions the motives of the Mayor…..no one

calls it too expensive, or too much of a hassle….no one believes that it is an alpha-

male symbol of tyranny……because it’s not…..

I believe that the US not only deserves this parade this weekend…..I believe we

need it…..we need to be reminded of the strength and dedication of our armed

forces….we need to wave flags and be mindful of who we are as a people…..there

is no shame in celebrating and honoring those who put everything on the line for

our freedom….and to be honest, 250 years is major milestone!......

I imagine that if Joe Biden and his cronies were still in office they would have

made a quick note about the Army’s quarter-of-a-thousand years birthday by

addressing systemic racism, and DEI hires, and extolled the virtues of a

transgender servicemember and followed it with an interview about a depressing

and sad story of a veteran who was broken and beaten, too many years in the

saddle and the bottle and unable to get the healthcare he needed from Trumps

VA medical system………and Army recruiting would still be in the tank and military

readiness still be downgraded to below the levels needed to defend our nations

interests…..no thank you…..I’ll take a parade any day of the week…..roll me some

Abrams, fly me some gunships, march me some troops…..America wants to wave

flags, shout our patriotism, love on our troops, and get a dose of national

testosterone in the process……

The American audience is hungry for an opportunity to be both entertained and

filled with the pride that comes from being an American……Able to celebrate

because it’s okay to be proud of who you are and where your from, it’s absolutely

right that the muscle of America can be flexed without being offensive, that

leadership can be unequivocal and balanced and conservative and compassionate

all at the same time, where people stand for the anthem and get misty eyed when

the flag waves…….that doing what you love, what you’re called to is about more

than just punching a timecard and working for the man…..it’s about having a

mission in life and taking pride in the quality of your effort and its outcomes…….

Don’t you love living here? I do!

We need a pretty healthy dose of Top Gun Attitude right now…….just sayin’

Happy 250 th Birthday US Army…..strike up the band….let’s have a parade!

And that’s a wrap for the Rightside Way….