Hundreds of thousands of revelers are expected to flood the streets of Washington, DC, Saturday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Army.
The multi-million dollar parade — which also happens to be President Trump’s 79th birthday — will feature a dramatic display of around 6,600 soldiers as well as hundreds of vehicles and aircraft, Army officials said.
“We’re going to have a great time; we are going to have a great celebration,” Trump said, touting the festival as a show of US military might.
Planning for the celebration has been underway for the better part of two years, but the parade of military vehicles was added to the festivities this year, according to Army officials, who told CBS News the armed services branch is unlikely to acknowledge Trump’s birthday during the parade.
The price tag for the event has been estimated between $25 million and $45 million, officials said, though the exact cost has not yet been disclosed.
Although the event will align with Trump’s birthday, the timing is just a coincidence.
The Second Continental Congress voted to create the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, after battles against the British in Concord and Lexington, naming George Washington commander-in-chief the next day.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told the House Armed Services Committee that the parade represents an “amazing opportunity” to tell the story about the Army, and could even pay recruitment dividends.
“I believe very specifically that telling that story will directly lead to a recruiting boom that will fill up our pipeline for the coming years,” Driscoll said.
The festival will kick off on the National Mall at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, running until 6 p.m. The military parade will start at 6:30 p.m., starting at 23rd Street NW along Constitution Avenue to 15th Street NW, concluding around 7:30 p.m. Fox News will be airing special coverage of the parade from 6-10 p.m. ET; if you don’t have cable, you can watch for free with a five-day trial of DIRECTV.
A fireworks display on the mall is scheduled to follow the parade around 9:45 p.m.
The parade will be the first such cavalcade since the end of the Gulf War in 1991, during which around 200,000 people gathered on the National Mall to watch some 8,000 service members march in the National Victory parade.
Because the massive equipment — some, like the M1A1 Abrams tank weighing upwards of 60 tons — wasn’t designed to roll down paved city streets, the Army has been making special preparations to minimize damage to DC roadways.
Leading up to the parade, the Army has been placing one-inch-thick steel plates, ranging in size from 4-by-8 feet to 8-by-20 feet, at points on the route where the heavier vehicles will be making turns.
The Army has pledged to pay for the repairs if any streets are damaged, which could add $16 million to the price of the festival, according to NBC News.
US Army Col. Jesse Curry, who heads the Office of the Chief of Engineers, told reporters Monday during a security briefing that the vehicles will also be equipped with rubber track pads to further mitigate damage, noting that they will be traveling slowly.
The parade will serve as a living history lesson, spanning every era of the Army from the Revolutionary War to today — and even the future — as thousands of soldiers will be decked out in era-appropriate uniforms and gear.
Front and center at the parade will be a tribute to the American Revolution, featuring horse-mounted Dragoon troops outfitted with the uniforms and weapons from that time.
Next up will be the Civil War, featuring 12 Texas steeds leading the march and a pair of mules pulling a wagon to symbolize the Western Expansion that followed the conflict, which included scores of battles with Native Americans.
World War I and World War II will be represented with a classic Renault Tank, the famous armored vehicle used by the Allies, as well as a vintage 1918 Dodge Touring Car.
The World War II section of the parade will be the biggest, featuring multiple American trucks and jeeps used in the war and supplied to US allies, including the Chevrolet G7117 and Ford GPW.
This section is also when the aerial events start, with the B-25 Mitchell bomber, C-47 Skytrain transport, and P-51 Mustang fighter plane set to fly over DC.
Cold War-era conflicts like the Korean and Vietnam Wars will see the aircraft procession continue with the OH-6 Cayuse, AH-1 Cobra and UH-1 Iroquois helicopters.
The next section will start with the iconic M2 Bradley fighting armored vehicle deployed during the Gulf War in the early 1990s.
Along with the armored vehicle, the troops will also show off the powerful Paladin and M1A1 Abrams tanks, and the M119 Howitzer.
Vehicles from the War on Terror will also be featured, including the modern US Stryker armored vehicle, which became a staple of America’s war in the Middle East.
The final section includes a roundup of the American equipment from previous wars that are still used today, along with new additions like the M777 Howitzer that was used in Afghanistan.
The parade is not without controversy — the cost has come under scrutiny by members of Congress, particularly as the Trump administration has made cutting wasteful government spending a top priority.
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