The Big Boy in the White House has an idea.
From Truth Social on Thursday:
Many of our allies and friends are celebrating May 8th as Victory Day, but we did more than any other Country, by far, in producing a victorious result on World War II. I am hereby renaming May 8th as Victory Day for World War II and November 11th as Victory Day for World War I. We won both Wars, nobody was close to us in terms of strength, bravery, or military brilliance, but we never celebrate anything — That’s because we don’t have leaders anymore, that know how to do so! We are going to start celebrating our victories again!
This is simply dumb for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that, sure, the Europeans celebrate May 8th as Victory Day, but the US continued fighting in the Pacific until the Japanese surrender in September. It is ahistorical for the US to celebrate victory in WWII on May 8th.
Worse in many ways is the dumb bravado of it all. “We won both wars,” he says, as if commemorations of those events decades later are a form of international pissing contest.
Confident people who understand
You know what really said “Victor in WWII”? Having all of Western Europe tied to you via a massive military alliance that you led. You know what else underscored the post-war strength of the United States? Shaping the entire global trading system to your rules.
I could go on.
But, sure, don’t let Europe have all the glory for the victory in WWII! Change that holiday! I would say that it would be another chance for mattress sales in the US, but if the supply chain gets wrecked, inventory may not be able to handle it.
Side note: I get it that when you are almost 80 years old, WWII looms large in your mind. It shaped the world you grew up in and was central to a lot of the pop culture you consumed as a child. This was true even for someone my age (but also with my professional predilections). But, my dude, it was a long time ago, and WWI even farther in the rearview mirror.
And people barely pay attention to Memorial Day and Veterans Day as it is. I mean, heck, every year there are dozens of explainers written to remind people that Memorial Day is about remembering the dead and Veterans Day is about celebrating the living. And while Pearl Harbor Day is on the calendar, most people pay it no mind. Indeed, some high-level Trump officials think it is in June! (More below).
I should hasten to add that changing Veterans Day to “Victory in WWI Day” is a massive diss to veterans, who would lose that day of commemoration. This just is: all the WWI vets are dead.
Note to the president: there have been a lot of veterans who have served since 1945 in a number of pretty significant conflicts to boot!
As the Military Times notes:
The move to rename Veterans Day — established to coincide with the end date of World War II — would overwrite 87 years of precedent in recognizing Nov. 11 as a national holiday celebrating all veterans.
But, hey, what’s a mere 87 years? Reverting to a focus of WWI is nice and reactionary, however, so score!
This all sounds too much like envy over Putin’s military parades, coupled with a child playing with his toys, than anything else.
And may I add that at some point, celebrating war victories just feels crass? The Russians do it, at least in part, because they really faced a serious threat to their national survival. And, of course, the rallying point of defeating the Nazis was a useful political symbol for the Communist Part of the Soviet Union and has likewise been of great nationalistic use to Putin. You can’t just decide to create that kind of “celebration” 80 years after the event you are celebrating.
And, I would note, Americans are great at celebrating. July 4th is a pretty big deal, as is Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, to name the big ones.
But, sure, let a thousand Victory Day parades bloom!
Of course, as alluded to above, basic history doesn’t appear to be the strong suit of the Trump administration.
Via HuffPo: Trump’s Navy Secretary Keeps Flubbing The Date Of Pearl Harbor.
A social media account for U.S. Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, whom President Donald Trump tapped for the role despite him having zero military experience, posted the wrong date of the attack on Pearl Harbor twice late last week.
The two posts, which have since been deleted, went up Friday after Phelan ― a wealthy investor, prominent art collector and Trump campaign donor ― visited the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, saying he was “there to honor the thousands of service members and civilians who died at Pearl Harbor on June 7, 1941.” In another post, the account referred to it as “the fateful day of June 7, 1941.”
Too bad they are just as bad at economics, biology, and international relations…
