The tanks have already arrived in Washington. On Friday, curious onlookers and tourists took photos with the armored vehicles on the National Mall, the major political, civic, and cultural artery in the heart of the nation’s capital. President Donald Trump turns 79 this Saturday and has gifted himself a military parade to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. Trump was dazzled in 2018 when he attended France’s Bastille Day parade on July 14, 2017, invited by President Emmanuel Macron, and now he is fulfilling his dream. Weather forecasts, which predict rain for Saturday, along with hundreds of protests planned across the country under the slogan “No Kings”, threaten to overshadow the first military parade in Washington in decades.
The parade of all wars
The military festival will last all day with concerts, competitions, and exhibitions throughout the National Mall. The parade itself is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Washington time.
About 6,600 military personnel will march wearing uniforms representing every U.S. war since the War of Independence, which began in 1775. Each group will include 60 soldiers dressed in period costumes for each war, followed by 400 soldiers from the same unit wearing their current uniforms. For example, the Civil War will be represented by the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson, Colorado, with 60 soldiers in historical uniforms and 400 in modern ones.
There will be 28 M1 Abrams tanks, each weighing over 60 tons; 28 Bradley tracked combat vehicles; 28 wheeled Stryker armored vehicles; four self-propelled M-109 Paladin howitzers with tracks, and other towed artillery.
More than 50 helicopters and planes representing different wars will fly over the city, matching the ground units as they pass by the president. For example, when units in World War II uniforms march past Trump, a P-51 Mustang fighter and a B-25 Mitchell bomber are expected to fly overhead. As units representing more recent conflicts pass, H-1 Huey, AH-1 Cobra, AH-64 Apache, and CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the Army will appear in the sky.
At the end of the parade, the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team will jump over the White House and land near Trump to present him with a folded flag. Additionally, 250 new recruits or re-enlisting service members will take their oath to the Army before Trump.
Nuestra fuente:EL PAÍS América Colombia: el periódico global… en EL PAÍS Publicado para Colombia
