The July Fourth event at the Lincoln Memorial included tributes to America and its brave and notable people, recognition of everyday Americans who serve, acknowledgment that this is the greatest free country created by the hand of God on the earth today. I was inspired by the flyovers of the nation’s capital and especially the grand finale of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." I salute the president who sang praise of who we are as a free people. As the president, Mr. Trump has every right to wave our title of liberty, the flag of the United States of America.
I live near Camp Pendleton and hear the training guns of the Marines. I see the Osprey aircraft fly along the nearby beaches. I witness the flyovers of aircraft at the Miramar Naval Air Station. I see warships in the San Diego Harbor. I see the men and women of the military on a regular basis and am thankful for them.
When people complain about tributes to the military by the president, my mind goes back to the Cold War. While living in Vienna, Austria, my work and travels in the 1970s were exclusively in the Comecon countries bordering the free West. I saw firsthand the Russian tanks whose primary mission was to keep people from getting out to escape the tyranny of the USSR.
I miss the days when presidents had military parades to honor special events, including inaugurations, with flags waving, bugles blaring and drums beating. So bring them on.
Sterling Johnson
Carlsbad, Calif.