NEW YORK, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of marching soldiers, dozens of helicopters flying overhead, and hundreds of military vehicles, including at least 28 tanks will all parade through the heart of Washington, D.C. for a celebration honoring the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army on Saturday, also President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.
"It is expected to be the largest military parade in the nation's capital since the end of the first Gulf War in 1991 and will be part of a day-long extravaganza on the National Mall that will include musical performances, parachutists and fireworks," reported The Washington Post on Friday. There also will be street closures, heightened security and protests.
According to the Pentagon, about 150 ground vehicles, 6,600 soldiers and 50 aircraft will appear in the parade, grouped to represent each major era of the Army's history.
The parade route runs along Constitution Avenue NW, beginning at 23rd Street near the Lincoln Memorial and finishing about a mile down the road, at 15th Street near the Washington Monument. The parade involves thousands of soldiers in historic and modern uniforms, dozens of Army vehicles including Abrams tanks, a flyover and a parachute jump, according to the report.
However, also on Saturday, more than 1,600 rallies are planned across all 50 U.S. states as part of the No Kings movement organized by a coalition of organizations calling for a "nationwide day of defiance." There are No Kings events in Virginia and Maryland, but not in D.C. ■