Saturday, in Washington, D.C., we celebrated the 250th birthday of the US Army. That army has answered the call of our nation time after time, beginning with our revolution against England, right up to the present day. Many have paid what Abraham Lincoln, speaking at Gettysburg, called “the last full measure of devotion.”
There was a big military parade—not without controversy—proceeding along Constitution Avenue to honor the Army. The weather forecast called for heavy rain, and there was worry about counter-demonstrations. Nonetheless, several hundred thousand people gathered in our nation’s capital, and millions more watched on television. Any observer would have been filled with great love for our country and the brave men and women who have defended it.
The parade itself was a history lesson. Each Army unit wore uniforms dating back to the year in our history when the unit was created. Soldiers of the unit today followed. It is a history our children, sadly, have not often been taught. (If you missed the parade, you can watch it on the White House website in the Video Library: whitehouse.gov/videos.)
I was struck by how many soldiers were smiling and joyous and how grateful they were for the thanks and praise from the crowd. As a nation, we haven’t said “thank you” enough.
The American people will have many more opportunities to celebrate our founding between now and our nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026. The US Navy’s 250th birthday is on October 13, 2025. The US Marine Corps celebrates its birth on November 10, 2025. We should celebrate all of these and more.
Sadly, the “Left” hated this parade.
When it was announced that American tanks would be included, some leftists said those tanks reminded them of the tanks that crushed freedom in Communist China’s Tiananmen Square revolt in 1989.
But the tanks in this parade were American tanks of liberation. The men in them, our sons, smiled and waved at the spectators, who cheered them on. Sadly, in the dangerous world we live in, those tanks will, no doubt, be needed again.
Everywhere the US military has gone over the years, we have rescued people from tyranny. We defeated the terrible “isms” of the 20th century, communism and Nazism.
There was a stark contrast between the patriotic, jubilant atmosphere in our nation’s capital and the Left’s hyper-partisan demonstrations across America on the same day. In many big cities, marchers carried foreign flags, demanded open borders, and called for the abolishment of federal border police.
When the sun went down, small groups of radical leftists rioted in many of those cities, attacking police and looting.
As Christians, we should reject domestic political violence. And we can and should enthusiastically stand with our country as we near our 250th anniversary.
We are blessed to live in a country whose Founders stated clearly that our liberty comes from the God of the Bible. As Christians, we should lead celebrations of that founding principle and how our liberty has been defended.
In his first inaugural address, President George Washington credited God with our victory over the British Empire. He asked for God’s hand of protection to remain upon us. Our Pledge of Allegiance says, “One nation under God.” Our coins read, “In God We Trust.”
I know the country in which country I want my grandchildren to grow up. I know which country I’m working to preserve.
It’s the one that rejoices in our God-given freedoms and celebrates our history, not the one that tears our nation down and distorts our history.
At JDFI, we hope and pray you feel the same way.
