Latest news with #M1Alphaa3Abrams
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
At least 30 ‘No Kings' rallies planned Saturday in Missouri, thousands nationwide
U.S. Army soldiers work on an assortment of M1 Alpha a3 Abrams tanks, stryker armored vehicles, and M2 Bradley fighting vehicles at West Potomac Park along the Potomac River on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Tanks and other heavy military equipment have arrived in the nation's capital for a military parade in honor of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, which coincides with President Donald Trump's birthday and Flag Day (). A 'No Kings' demonstration is scheduled Saturday in downtown Columbia, one of nearly 30 planned in Missouri and almost 2,000 across the country against Trump administration policies. The 'No Kings Day of Defiance' was organized nationwide at the same time a military parade will mark the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary in Washington, D.C. The date also coincides with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. In response to the planned rallies in Missouri, Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Thursday that he had activated the Missouri National Guard in preparation for the protests. The Guard will be mobilized only if 'assistance is needed to support local law enforcement,' according to a news release from the governor's office. The rallies across the country are intended to 'honor civil liberties for all' and protest deportation, U.S. actions in Gaza and recent funding cuts to government departments such as USAID, said Jeff Stack, coordinator of the Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation and an organizer of the demonstration in Columbia. A number of rallies are planned in Kansas City and St. Louis, with additional demonstrations scheduled in Boonville, Fayette, Marshall, Jefferson City, Warrensburg, Cape Girardeau, Springfield, Joplin, Rolla, St. Joseph, Poplar Bluff, West Plains, Kirksville, Maryville, Clinton and several other locations. The demonstrations were spurred by the 50501 movement, a network of opposition that organizes and calls for protests across the country. The number refers to 50 protests, 50 states, one movement, according to the organization's website. It began on the social media platform Reddit after Trump's second inauguration in January. The movement issued a statement earlier this month that 'all No Kings events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety.' Saturday is also Flag Day, a federal holiday that marks the adoption of the American flag on the date in 1777. No protest rally will be held in Washington, D.C., with the organizers saying it will 'make action everywhere else the story of America that day.' The rally in Columbia will be a 'nonpartisan event,' Stack said. It is not in direct response to the presence of the National Guard and ICE in Los Angeles, Stack said, but federal action on the streets of California is emblematic of what will be protested. 'We're not aligned with one particular party,' Stack said. 'We're just concerned about the policies.' The goals of 'No Kings' are to 'give people a chance to come together to air grievances' and 'honor the human rights and civil rights that we all have,' he said. Cutting federal funding, deporting immigrants, enacting policies that 'benefit the wealthiest of the wealthy' and laying off scores of federal employees are examples of the grievances, Stack said. The demonstration in Columbia will begin at 11 a.m. at the Boone County Courthouse, 705 E. Walnut St. Speakers will address the crowd until about 12:30 p.m., when there will be a march through downtown. This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Army 250th birthday three-day celebration set to be held in Philadelphia and Valley Forge
U.S. Army soldiers work on an assortment of M1 Alpha a3 Abrams tanks, stryker armored vehicles, and M2 Bradley fighting vehicles at West Potomac Park along the Potomac River on June 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Tanks and other heavy military equipment have arrived in the nation's capital for a military parade in honor of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, which coincides with President Donald Trump's birthday and Flag Day. (Photo by) Although the vast majority of attention has been directed towards Washington D.C. for the upcoming weekend, the Philadelphia region will be hosting a three-day celebration to mark the U.S. Army's 250th birthday. The Army was founded in Philadelphia. Erica Liermann, a retired U.S. Army staff sergeant, is the director of Marketing and Communications for the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Penn and Franklin Chapters, a non-profit organization. She said that the weekend is an opportunity to 'celebrate our heritage' and focus on the history that the city has to offer. 'This event is not political,' Liermann said during a joint informational meeting of the state House and Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness committees. The gathering kicks off on Friday afternoon in Valley Forge and includes a guided tour of the Washington Memorial Chapel, a Medal of Honor Grove tour and wreath laying ceremony. Both are free and open to the public. The final event of the evening will be a cocktail reception that is a ticketed event. The bulk of the celebration will take place on Saturday in Philadelphia. It begins in the morning with an opening ceremony at Independence Mall that includes a flag-raising ceremony, the national anthem, and remarks from elected officials and military leaders. A brief military and civilian parade will be held in the early afternoon that features service members, veteran groups, re-enactors, marching bands, and SOCOM Para-Commando Parachute Demonstration. An enlistment ceremony will take place later in the afternoon that will feature 250 new soldiers taking their oath, followed by an Army Field Band Concert. 'We are just turning the city into a party hall,' Liermann said. 'We want everyone to consider everybody family. Everyone is welcome to join, to bring anybody.' Liermann emphasized that these events, which are free and open to the public, will be family friendly and include rock walls. She also said there will be military and armored vehicles on display, although they will not be rolling down the street. On Saturday evening, an invitation-only gathering will take place at the 1st City Troop Armory in Philadelphia. The events wrap up on Sunday morning in Philadelphia with a church service at Christ Church, which will include remarks from the former Under Secretary of the U.S. Army Patrick Murphy, who represented a Bucks County-based district in the U.S. House from 2007-2011. Following mass, there will be a George Washington Commissioning Reenactment on the north side of Independence Hall, a procession to Washington Square, a wreath laying ceremony, and final words to mark the weekend long celebration. All of these events on Sunday are free and open to the public. Thomas Long is a retired U.S. Army sergeant and organizer for GoArmy250, the group planning the event. He said the celebration is going to be monumental. 'The birthplace of the Army, the birthplace of the Navy, and the birthplace of the Marines are here, the same birthplace as the nation, but we came first,' he said. Long, a disabled veteran, noted that Saturday is also Flag Day and Philadelphia will host the Navy and Marines 250th birthday celebrations later this year in the fall. Earlier in the week, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, chairman of the Senate Veterans and Emergency Preparedness Committee and a retired U.S. Army colonel, held an event in Harrisburg honoring the U.S. Army's anniversary. The state House also unanimously adopted a resolution sponsored by state Rep. Jim Haddock (D-Luzerne), designating June 14, 2025, as the '250th Birthday of the United States Army' in the state. In central Pennsylvania, the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle is opening its new exhibit on Saturday 'This We'll Defend: Celebrating 250 years of Army History.' A spokesperson told the Capital-Star that this museum is free of charge and open to the public.
