To the editor:

According to the news reports today, Donald Trump wants to have a huge military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue on July 4 with troops, tanks and a lot of other military hardware to honor and support our troops. I would like to offer him a couple of suggestions for more effective ways to give support other than having a big showy parade march past his front door.

Mr. President, first of all, when you received that letter that so many of us got from the president back in the late ’60s stating that your country needed you for military service, you could have gone and served. That probably would have helped, and most of us did go and serve.

But not you, and now you want a parade.

Secondly, you could pay federal taxes. Now I know you told us all during the campaign that not paying taxes makes you “smart,” but the money that pays our soldiers’ wages and buys the equipment they need comes from Americans who pay their taxes. Most of us do pay our taxes.

Rhetoric and flag waving don’t really help that much.

I realize it is a little too late for you to make good on that first item, Mr. President, but how about helping the rest of us out on the second one? Sometimes actions really do speak louder than words.