Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the number of soldiers participating from Fort Bragg.
Fort Bragg is sending 900 soldiers to participate in the Army’s 250th birthday parade in Washington on Saturday, the Public Affairs Office for the 18th Airborne Corps said this week.
“The XVIII Airborne Corps is incredibly proud to participate in the Army’s 250th Birthday Parade in Washington D.C.,” Col. Mary Ricks, the director of public affairs, said in a statement.
“The parade marks a historic event not seen in over three decades,” Ricks said. The last time there was similar parade was in June 1991. The National Victory Celebration parade was held to mark the end of the Persian Gulf War and welcome home that conflict’s personnel, NPR reported.
For the 250th anniversary parade, the 18th Airborne Corps is sending 2,000 soldiers from four Army installations around the country, including 900 from Fort Bragg, the Corps Public Affairs Office said.
“They will proudly showcase the evolution of our Army through a variety of uniforms and demonstrations, honoring our rich history while looking forward to the future,” Ricks said.
Fort Bragg’s participation includes:
- 900 soldiers, with 600 marching in the parade. Those in the parade will be in World War II vintage uniforms.
- About 70 land vehicles, including infantry squad vehicles and artillery pieces.
- More than 40 helicopters from the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade. These include AH-64 Apaches, UH-60 Black Hawks, and CH-47 Chinooks.
The parade comes four days after Republican President Donald Trump visited Fort Bragg to celebrate the Army’s birthday. In his remarks, he criticized Americans he dislikes or disagrees with, reported he has sent military forces into Los Angeles to quell protests over ICE immigration raids, and announced that other American Army bases would be reverted to the names of Confederate leaders.
Saturday is the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army.
The Second Continental Congress formed the Army on June 14, 1775, after war broke out with Great Britain in April 1775 following years of civil unrest between the American colonists and the British government and British military forces.
The Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence more than a year later, July 4, 1776, to announce that the colonies were breaking away from Great Britain to form a new country, the United States of America.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
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