Latest news with #Army250th
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Tanks and soldiers are coming to D.C. for the parade. So is this dog.
While watching the dozens of tanks and thousands of soldiers scheduled to parade through the nation's capital later this month, keep an eye out for a pair of pricked ears and a bushy, white-tipped tail. Man's best friend is participating in the sweeping June 14 celebration honoring the Army's 250th birthday and falling on President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. He's a 2½-year-old Blue Heeler named Doc Holliday — a nod to the gunslinger depicted in the American western movie 'Tombstone.' Doc, for short.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's birthday military parade could cause $16 million of damage to DC's streets
Donald Trump's birthday military parade could cause as much as $16 million worth of damage to the streets of Washington, D.C., officials estimate. The June 14 parade, which will celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary, is being held on the president's own 79th birthday and will cost around $45 million. That price tag includes the estimated damage. Trump himself has called the cost of the parade 'peanuts compared to the value of doing it.' Organizers say that the parade will consist of around 130 vehicles, including 28 M1A1 tanks, 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 28 Stryker armored fighting vehicles and artillery launchers being towed. A flyover of the U.S. capital will be undertaken by more than 50 helicopters, while 7,000 soldiers will march in the streets. There will also be at least eight bands, three dozen horses and two mules. The Army has said that it will cover all repair costs to the District's streets, which it estimates will be $16 million, according to NBC News. It has already said that it would place thick metal plates as long as 20ft down where tanks will turn on the parade route, at a cost of $3 million. Earlier this week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she was 'concerned' about the scope of damage that the tanks and armored vehicles could cause. "These are, for the most part, local streets, and if they're rendered in unusable, we have to make them usable,' she said. "Probably we would fix it and then go seek our money from the Fed," she said. "That gives me some concern about fronting costs and waiting for them to get back." Trump told NBC News' Meet the Press earlier this month that the 90-minute parade would be well worth its eye-watering cost. 'We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we're going to celebrate it,' Trump insisted.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Trump is finally getting his military parade the Pentagon blocked last time
President Donald Trump is finally getting the military parade he has wanted since his first stint in the White House. The Pentagon previously opposed the notion of having a parade because officials wanted to distance the military from politics. On June 14, Trump's 79th birthday and the Army's 250th anniversary, 28 Abrams tanks, 28 armored personnel carriers, more than 100 other vehicles, 6,700 soldiers, 50 helicopters, a B-25 bomber from World War II, two mules, and a dog will hit the streets and the skies of the nation's capital. The estimated cost is $25 million to $45 million. The upper number may even rise, however, as the army has committed to fixing any city streets damaged by the parade. The cost of the cleanup work and police services is not yet included in the estimate, The New York Times noted. The Pentagon's proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 is $1.01 trillion, coming as the Trump administration is making severe cuts to public services, including education, health, and disaster aid. In addition, thousands of military veterans are slated to lose government jobs in agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs due to demanded cuts by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. While Army spokesperson Steve Warren told The Times that $45 million is 'a lot of money,' he added: 'But I think that amount of money is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice by America's Army.' When the Army turned 200 in 1975, no parade was held amid the Vietnam War and Kent State shootings. Smaller commemorations were organized at Army bases around the U.S. However, the U.S. was set to celebrate its bicentennial the following year. Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, told reporters last week that Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, could be an ideal location for similar celebrations on a smaller scale, 'where the Old Guard could march with some veterans,' referencing the Army's oldest active duty infantry unit, the 3rd infantry regiment. 'But this is Trump,' Reed told the press at the Defense Writers Group, according to The Times. 'It's consistent with so much of what he's doing.' Trump has wanted a military parade since he watched the Bastille Day parade in Paris during his first term (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) The parade will pass by Trump's viewing platform on Constitution Avenue on the evening of Saturday, June 14, part of a big celebration on the National Mall. The marching troops will be housed in two government buildings, reportedly sleeping on military cots and bringing their own sleeping bags. The Army has been planning elements of the celebration for more than two years. However, those plans were focused on festivals, a postal stamp, a number of fun runs, and military bands. The military parade didn't enter the plans until this year, Army officials said, according to The Times. While there are no plans to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Trump or to the Army, one element includes members of the Army's parachute team, the Golden Knights, landing and handing the president a flag. The last large American military parade took place following the end of the Gulf War. Trump watched the Bastille Day parade in Paris during his first year in the White House in 2017. He came back to the U.S. wanting his own parade, but the Pentagon at the time didn't agree. Guy Snodgrass, a former speechwriter to then-defense secretary Jim Mattis, wrote in the book Holding the Line that Mattis said he would 'rather swallow acid.'
Fox News
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
Indy 500 to honor U.S. Army's 250th birthday with Apache helicopter flyover
The Indy 500 will have a special tribute to the United States Army this Memorial Day Weekend. Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be filled with thousands of fans to see who will take home the checkered flag of the most prominent IndyCar. But before dozens of drivers aim to etch their names in the history books, it will pay homage to the Army's 250th birthday. Two Army Apache helicopters will fly above the cars on the first pace lap of the race. It is being dubbed the "Pace Lap for America." Sunday marks the 109th edition of the big race, with the first taking place way back in 1911. President Donald Trump will host a military parade in June to honor military veterans and active-duty service members and commemorate the U.S. Army's 250th birthday, Fox News Digital learned earlier this month. The parade is scheduled for June 14, the 250th birthday of the United States Army and Trump's birthday. The parade comes after Trump, in January, signed an executive order creating "Task Force 250," which is focused on coordinating the plans and activities celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence. The 250th anniversary of America's founding will be July 4, 2026. In the lead-up to the major 2026 celebration, the White House has celebrated the anniversaries of major events in America's founding, including the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give me Death" speech in March, the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's famous ride in April and the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. During his first term, Trump held a unique "Salute To America" event on the Fourth of July in 2019, which was different from typical Independence Day celebrations put on by past presidents. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Washington Post
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Army announces tanks, horses, country singers for Trump's military parade
More than two dozen tanks, 34 horses, 50 helicopters and thousands of troops — many in period costume from past wars — will be part of the sweeping military celebration in D.C. next month to honor the Army's 250th birthday, officials announced Wednesday, offering new details on the multimillion-dollar event involving fireworks and parachutists dropping onto the Ellipse near the White House.
