As President Donald Trump plans a parade to honor America’s military service men and women, I urge him to consider a more effective means of respecting their sacrifices: devote the estimated $8 million cost of a military parade in Washington, D.C. to improving the lives of our homeless veterans.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, about 39,000 veterans live without shelter every night. About 11 percent of America’s homeless are veterans. I suggest Trump use his influence to making their lives better through channeling this $8 million to federal veterans and housing agencies.
I shudder every time I see military parades that include destructive weaponry. We have all seen newsreels of frightening spectacles by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and now North Korea. I believe that such parades do not display our country’s ideals.
Odette Edgar,
Juneau