People are thinking viral video of soldiers marching at Trump birthday parade has hidden meaning
People have shared a wild theory about the US soldiers which were seen marching during a military parade in Washington D.C.
Saturday (June 14) saw the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States army, a date which just so happens to coincide with the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump.
Which of course only meant one thing, celebrating with 90-minute parade through the US capitol as a show of strength.
The parade certainly attracted a lot of attention online, reigniting the Melania Trump body 'double theory' as well as seeing dozens of people mock the decision for sponsor Coinbase to receive a shout out in the middle of the parade like it was some kind of sports game.
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The memes didn't stop there either, with viewers also commenting on the rather lacklustre marching from the soldiers taking part.
Now, when you think of a military parade the first images which spring to mind are likely to be ones of rigid order and flawless marching skills.
Such as the soldiers who marching in a tight Goose Step through Moscow's Red Square during Russia's World War Two parades or the North Korean army personnel walking in time with each other as they accompany the country's nuclear weapons being wheeled out for leader Kim Jong Un.
Strict military drills aren't exclusive to authoritarian regimes either, with the King's Guard displaying an almost inhuman level of discipline with parading around Buckingham Palace.
However, the memo to march in unison wasn't one which was echoed during Saturday's parade.
What happened during the US military parade?
Search 'US soldiers marching' on social media and you'll see countless videos of army personnel appearing to stroll through the streets while decked head to toe in combat uniform.
So, what happened? Were the boots worn by all the soldiers filled with lead or were participants feeling a bit rusty about their marching skills?
Take a look at the clip below to check it out for yourself:
Or perhaps it was something else entirely, with several people on social media suggesting the out-of-sync marching was a supposed act of defiance against the Trump administration.
"When military men and women in uniform march, they march with tight timing and in lockstep as a sign of pride," wrote one viewer on Tiwtter, comparing the footage to previous US parades.
"These soldiers couldn’t be further from marching in lockstep."
"Never seen such a Low energy military march," posted a second viewer, while a third added: "It looks like some of these soldiers have never marched before. They're ambling, not marching.
"If we'd paraded like this in public we'd have been hauling ammo boxes up and down hills for weeks afterwards."
What have soldiers said about it?
Several ex-military personnel have since weighed in on the topic, with their comments rubbishing any suggestion that US soldiers don't know how to march.
"We learn this every day in basic training and when we go to AIT how to march, it’s an important part of training," wrote Army Veteran Skyleigh Uhrich.
"There is no other reason for them to look like this other than defiance."
"I've marched in more military parades than I even care to remember," added a second veteran.
"And this is easily the worst and sloppiest marching I've ever witnessed at a formal military parade.
"It feels like a big 'f**k you' to Trump from the soldiers."
Topics: Donald Glover, US News, Politics, Social Media, Viral
Brenna Cooper