'Tanks' a lot, Mr. Prez

WASHINGTON – Tanks rumbled down Pennsylvania Avenue for Dwight Eisenhower's inaugural parade in 1953. John F. Kennedy deployed them eight years later – as well as missiles. Even a 1939 visit by England's King George VI prompted a splashy display of armored hardware rolling through the nation's capital. Military parades date to the Civil War era. President Donald Trump's demand that tanks be part of his "Salute to America" on the National Mall to celebrate the 4th of July has prompted critics, including Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, to call it a jingoistic display befitting a despot. But tanks have long been a part of national moments of celebration in Washington, although mainly associated with presidential inaugurations and military victory parades. The last ones thundered through the nation's capital in 1991 when the nation commemorated victories over Iraq. (Source: USA TODAY 07/03/19)