WASHINGTON – The stage is being set – literally – for the military parade June 14 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army that coincides with President Donald Trump’s birthday.
Construction workers are erecting a stage along Constitution Avenue near the White House. Steel plates have been embedded in the asphalt to protect roads from 140,000-pound tanks.
And the tanks themselves – and other military vehicles – have begun arriving by train.
“The Army’s 250th birthday is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Col. Kamil Sztalkoper, a spokesperson for the III Armored Corps, said as one of the trains left Fort Cavazos in Texas bound for Washington, D.C. “This is a chance to see our soldiers, our leaders and the world-class force on full display in our nation’s capital. We look forward to being a part of history.”
The day-long festival along the National Mall will feature a parade and fireworks display. The parade will include about 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft, according to the Army.
Trump told NBC News the cost – budgeted at $30 million and potentially rising to $45 million – is “peanuts” compared to celebrating “the greatest military in the world.”
Democratic lawmakers have argued Trump is wielding the military for his own political purposes. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the event is “all about his ego and making everything about him.”
The first tanks bound for the capital began moving May 21. A nearly mile-long train carried M1 Abrams tanks, M2 Bradley vehicles, M109 Paladins and Strykers about 1,300 miles from Texas to the capital for the parade.
Soldiers and their equipment will be housed in a Department of Agriculture building and a warehouse owned by the General Service Administration. Chow will consist of two MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and one hot meal per day.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tanks arrive for Army parade to celebrate 250th anniversary
