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Subscribe to RSSRachel Maddow highlights an effort by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America to establish a national day of action to celebrate returning Iraq War veterans.
Will there be a parade down New York City's Broadway for returning war veterans? Not quite yet, says the Pentagon, even though the idea is gathering steam.
Thousands cheered the Super Bowl champion New York Giants as they made their way down New York City’s midtown thoroughfare on Tuesday in a massive celebration many veterans groups say should be afforded to U.S. troops returning from Iraq.
Even though military leaders say they support a parade for returning troops, they say now is not the appropriate time given that fighting is still going on in Afghanistan.
A ticker–tape parade, Col. Dave Lapan, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, “wouldn’t harm our efforts in Afghanistan, but we feel it would be inappropriate at this time given ongoing deployments and combat operations there.” Lapan said. He was quoted in both the The New York Times and Stars & Stripes.
Instead, a gala for returning Iraq veterans is planned at the White House.
Since American military involvement ended in Iraq in December, there has been increasing public debate about the lack of fanfare over the return of veterans of the Iraq war. Rather than national celebrations, individual cities and citizens have stepped up their efforts to honor troops.
More cities consider parades for Iraq War vets
Organizers of a St. Louis parade, which drew an estimated 100,000 observers and 20,000 participants on Jan. 28, said people attended from Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Seattle, Tucson, Ariz., Nashville, Tenn., Greensboro, N.C., and Clinton, Iowa.
President Obama unveiled a new plan to get post September 11 veterans back to work. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
In New York, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has called for a celebration there focusing on veterans of the Iraq war.
"While military operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere have not concluded, the fact remains that our military has made commendable achievements in Iraq," Quinn told NBC News last week.
Still, no decision has been made yet on such a celebration. New York instead is working with the White House and the Pentagon on the best way to honor troops, Stu Loeser, a spokesman for New York City Michael Bloomberg, told the New York Times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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Talking nothing away from Eli Manning and the New York Giants it seems odd they are so eager to honor a football team but not the men and women of our armed forces.
It seems a little premature to have a parade just yet. Let's save it for 2014 when we've pulled out of Afghanistan. It's not like the vets back from Iraq aren't going to go there as well.
Football and military service overseas have nothing to do with each other. We are discrediting the service of returning veterans and those who won't be returning by comparing the two.
Both deserve parades, and both will get parades as soon as it is appropriate.
Mix and match ? Ha.
More political "football" with our men and women in uniform. Leave it to Mr. (or Mrs.) Obama to set up a "military" parade.
Why didn't they have a parade for the returning "Vietnam Vets" ? Oh yeah, discourse.
BTW I was a returning Vietnam Vet.
Then you must realize that the country HATED the Vietnam War... no parade when MOST people were against the war. By the time we get out of the wars no one will feel like celebrating. We are SO sick of wars. They never seem to end. Did you volunteer or were you drafted?
AND Obama was not president when you came home.. so dont blame him if you are miserable. Vote and so will I ... for Obama. :)
Just because you hate war doesn't mean you should hate the soldier. These fine men and woman are putting their lives on the line so you can worship Obama.
You sound like the one who is miserable.
AG99
Sorry I dont think it is premature. My dad has a birthday on Dec. 20, so guess what his birthday and Christmas gets smashed down to one day.
I believe our Veteran's deserve their own parade. One for the Iraq vets one for the Afghan guys. They both have sacrificed way too much anyways. It is not too much for what they have ALL given.
Jim
The Veteran's Day parade in New York City was a total disgrace. They actually held up the parade for cross traffic and pedestrians. Compare that to the Puerto Rican Day Parade or gay pride parade when everything gets shut down. Really gives you an idea of how much respect NYC has for the military these days.
ldo - Thank you for your service!
Amen!
Well if you can celebrate the GIANTS Super Bowl win then you can certainly show our appreciation to Veterans returning home from risking their lives each and EVERY day that they were doing another tour in that hell hole of a country! GEEZE!
The key word there is 'win.' You get to have a parade when you win a war, and you haven't won one worth celebrating since 1945. The troops have two days dedicated to honouring them, and the 4th of July could count as a third. You can also thank the troops personally when you see them in your city. But these parades are just wasting money that could be going to actually help returning vets.
I agree navyvet. Thank you for your service to our country.
I will never go to NY to celebrate a sports team (I live an hour away in NJ), but you can count on me being there if they choose to celebrate our U.S. Soldiers!
I also live in NJ and in the morning news they referred to the Giants as 'heroes.' That just cheapens the meaning. These people are fine athletes and should be examples to children for just that - nothing more, nothing less.
Returning soldiers deserve so much more than they are getting. Yes, they signed up for it, which is more than a lot of people are willing to do. That should be honored. Whether our recent wars are failures or not really doesn't matter when it comes to appreciating what soldiers do for this country. If people who chase a ball can get a parade then people who get shot at in the name of freedom should, too. And let's try to make sure they can get some jobs after the parades are over.
Stop making a big deal of nothing. The right time to celebrate is when all the Armed Forces are done with Afghanistan.
Guess I should have scrolled down before posting.
Luv ya to death Marine but we still have troops in Bosnia with the U.N. The pint is Bloomberg said there would be NO parade for the troops not when ......
If we wait for ALL troops to be home, these kids will wait as long as Nam vets, and you know it. They DESERVE a welcome home now, not a year or two down the line. What is wrong with 2 parades for 2 wars? Some will get out, some will go back to Afgahnistan and come back, some won't come back and will never be thanked. We NEED to say thanks so we don't EVER AGAIN treat veterans as they were treated when they came home from Nam. We must thank these people NOW while alive and well after serving in a
war zone. Hell, we don't have an excuse to say no to them. Everyone was sure quick to say yes to the damn war.
And then... people will bitch about how the Federal Government is blowing their money.
No one is ever happy. I HATE wars. Do not volunteer if you expect a parade when you come home.
Where do I donate? I will gladly toss in a twenty!
Navyvet- This is the one time I agree with one of your post's.
Time to honor the other unsung heroes of the effort, the War Corporations. They are people too and deserve a parade.
I'm gonna have to be the guy I suppose.
I have nothing but respect for those in the armed forces. However, there is Memorial Day and Veteran's Day that directly pay tribute to those in the military. There is also July 4th for an indirect tribute.
I get the feeling as if there are those who feel there should be a parade every time a unit either deploys or returns. If this is was the case, nothing would ever get done. There would always be some sort of parade going on.
I am certainly not a huge sports fan (save college football), but this is something that only 1 out of 32 cities has a chance of doing each year. So, I can see some of the argument on what makes it special. This doesn't mean I agree with it, but I can try to understand it.
I understand your point, BUT:
Not one of the NY Giants has ever stepped in front of a bullet for my family. A substantial number of my friends and family have done that for the NY Giants. The NY Giants should be saying "don't waste your money honoring us, spend it honoring the ones who have made real sacrifices". An alternative would be to not spend the money on a parade and use it to patch up the soldiers coming home.
The truth of the matter is for most Americans these paid holidays is nothing more than time to bring out the barbeque pits and light up the grills without giving any thought to what sacrifices were made by the men and women that gave much up for their country for our freedoms, and while everyone is putting steaks and burgers on the grill, still our service members are out there away from their families in harms way and dying. They, in my opinion, are our true heroes, not some football team, who are making millions and whose tickets are beyond the reach of most Americans to begin with.
You "patriots" are so sickening. A parade for this and one for that. WAR is nothing to celebrate. AND I have been against all the wars. My Dad is a VETERAN and he never had a parade... he can be buried in a military cemetery. That shows honor.
I agree 120% with Questions Authority. There are already times to honour the vets, and nobody is stopping you from giving them a personal 'thank you' when you see them on the street. No war has justified a parade since WWII.
stueystu - well said
Hannah - what happened to make you such a hater? Did you grow up not seeing your father or was he injured while serving? I hope you can somehow find peace in your life.
I appreciate your father's service and he has my utmost respect. The treatment he received upon his return (I am assuming from nam) was probably unjust and can never be corrected, but we should not repeat history. We obviously can make little difference when it comes to our leaders entering a war, but we can make all the difference in the world when it comes to the treatment and respect we show to our returning soldiers. I know that less than one percent will ever expect something like a parade, but I am sure that ALL, including your father will agree that it is wrong to ignore the survivors who are protecting us while worshiping overpaid athletes.
At least the Giants actually won something.....
Really shows our priorities when winning a football game is more important than someone dying to protect our freedom...
believe in you countrymen bobby
militaristic clap-trap!
As a combat Vietnam Veteran and retired US Army screw the parades....provide each Veteran pad college, a job, free healthcare, and full tax exempt status for life. Since only 1% of the population of 300,000,000 people in this country serve and defend it shoudl not cost to much.
Thank you for your service Michael.
I agree with your suggestions, I just wish our politicians did. NY Mayor Bloomberg should be ashamed of wasting taxpayer money on a parade and the business owners should be pi$$ed abouth the negative impact on their businesses. A complete waste of money that could have gone to help with healthcare for veterans.
Our service men and women don't have a choice of what war to fight or not fight but we have a choice and obligation to honor their sacrifices. Have we already forgotten those killed and severely wounded? Remember our congress voted on a blank check to go to war. Are they now to be forgotten like our Vietnam and Korean war veterans?
Reports show the the boots on the ground voted to delay a celebration until we pull out of Afghanistan. I agree with the troops and we will have one hell of a party on that day. Go U.S.A
Could MSNBC try to help Obama in any other way? They are supposed to be a news reporting company; not campaign manager. This @!$%# is getting old.
Last time I compared parading your army around to fascism but I took too much heat for that, so I'll leave it at this this time: honour the vets, but do it in a more reasonable way. You have days for this and you can do it personally any time you see one in your city. We didn't need parades across the nation when our fellow Canadians came back from Afghanistan. Based on lots of comments on this site they would prefer the money paying for these parades to be used to actually help those who served their country.
Nationalism is bad for business. People only honor and respect $$$.
There are some who want to wait until the war in Afghanistan is over, which will be a long time coming. Their rationale is that we can't celebrate troops returning from one war while another is going on. That is bull pucky. The vets returning from Germany in May-June 1945 had a parade and then the ones returning from the Pacific war in the fall of 1945 had their parade. There is no reason we can not have parades for those that served in Iraq and are returning home now. They deserve our thanks, admiration, and honor for their service. I just hope they let them ride the parade route and not have to march again.
We are ALWAYS out there blowing someone up. Our Iraq vets should get the honor and recognition they deserve, regardless of what's happening elsewhere.
some of the comments here are a bit ridiculous. Military veterans really feel like they deserve the world and the language they use shows it. Free health care and tax exempt status for life? Really? And you're all "defending our freedom"? Wow... do you really think that without people serving in the military the country would be a dictatorship? communist? Sorry, our democracy has nothing to do with the military. No one died in these wars to protect our freedom and no one stepped in front of a bullet for the New York Giants as one commenter said. That's ridiculous. I know you want to give meaning to your life but acting like everyone owes you a special debt is disgusting. I already know what your response is going to be: "I can't believe I'm putting my life on the line to protect you so that you can make those comments". Yeah, well, the thing is you're not doing that. Have a nice day.
So are you too afraid to enlist and serve yourself you chicken$hit? Put up or shut up and yes many people serving have died to protect your lazy a$$ punk. One can only hope you get run over by a bus.
your hope i get run over by a bus shows who you are. all your other assumptions show your ignorance as well. im glad that i dont know you in real life and am sad but not surprised that people like you exist. so keep bragging to everyone that you're "protecting" them and wishing death on those who disagree with you. I'm out. Good night.
America hasn't fought a war to protect American principles and freedoms in decades. Iraq? Vietnam? Nope.
"Even though military leaders say they support a parade for returning troops, they say now is not the appropriate time given that fighting is still going on in Afghanistan.
A ticker–tape parade, Col. Dave Lapan, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, “wouldn’t harm our efforts in Afghanistan, but we feel it would be inappropriate at this time given ongoing deployments and combat operations there."
The American PEOPLE and the military personnel both think you're wrong! They deserve it FAR MORE than football players!!!!
It will be very unfortunate if this opportunity is lost. Whether you support or oppose this war the importance of paying tribute to those who have fought in it is most important. And belive it or not, I'm one that those on the right would refer to as a 'commie liberal'.
You do know why there will not be any time soon, don't you..... It would be too good for those who sacrificed for the whole of the United States. Obamanation won't let it happen, either.......
Yes, I'm sure if there is no parade in NY it will because Obama didn't want there to be one. If there is a parade it will be Obama's fault that there wasn't one sooner. If you sleep through your alarm tomorrow you'll probably attribute that to an Obama scheme, too. You people and your mindless Obama-bashing are really tiresome.
I would hope that Obama would not have the audacity to actually be in a parade for veterans. It would be totally inappropriate. The security costs would be staggering. Review stand ,sure. Limo ride, no !
These posts are all over the place, and the real story not told. First, the SuperBowl and a parade for the returning, vets should never mention in the same article.
This article is skewed to incite negative feeling to both parties. Never mention the military unless they are in a stadium as invitees.
Secondly, New York has always had parades for winning teams; at least that's what I remember over the past 20 years.
Keep both articles apart and focus on what's best for each. Yankees win? You bet there will be a parade, same for the Nets and all NY teams. Who cares? Go if you wish and don't read about the article either.
Where the Vets are concerned, war is still being fought and men are dying. Let’s get the guys out of Afghanistan; they too fought in Iraq, or at least many have.
Get them home safely and there will be many of and from both wars to honor. Give them now the full support they richly deserve. As for a parade, why not? Save it for both when those who fought places can be together. Take politics out of it and let the military decide when, where, how and how much.
The Nation will join with them in a national parade and they should be presented with medals appropriately.
This is one article I wish was never written. I totally agree with the author but you should keep sports and dedication of our men and women in uniform apart.
Yeah, this is war current time, our men and women deserve our honor. Remember NYC always have parades for winning teams.
You should have written: The Giants return to NY and had a grand celebration and returned as Hero's.
Next article or a call for action to honor our vets. New City will honor our vets in such away and spirit that will have lasting memory. I can't wait for it the happen, but the defense department does not think it is the appropriate time. Inciting negative comments or language or feeling for that matter is simply wrong. Bad journalism.