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Approximately 400 Soldiers with the 42nd Infantry Division and 40 with the division’s band will represent the Army National Guard in the Army’s 250th anniversary parade June 14 in Washington D.C.
Headquartered in New York, the division has units in Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The 42nd ID will be representing its historical legacy from World War I, according to Army Guard officials.
The parade marks the day in 1775 when the Continental Congress authorized the formation of the Continental Army to fight the British in the American Revolutionary War. It was America’s first national military force.
Massachusetts militia fired the first shots of the revolution nearly two months earlier at Lexington and Concord.
June 14 is also Flag Day, the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes as the nation's colors.
In addition, President Donald Trump turns 79 that day. Trump is scheduled to take part in some of the many events and activities set for Army Birthday Festival that day on the National Mall.
The festival will include an Army fitness competition involving a Guard team and static displays that include Guard aviation and communications assets, Army Guard officials said.
Admission is free, but the Army recommends those planning to attend to pre-register here.
Army officials expect a crowd of 200,000.
The parade, which will begin at 6:30 p.m., will follow a route from the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River to the Mall.
Trump is set to watch from a viewing stand on Constitution Ave., just south of the White House.
Nearly 7,000 Soldiers will take part, according to Army officials. Most will be in their current uniforms, but some will serve as reenactors depicting the Army over its history.
The parade will also feature current weapons systems, including M1 Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and M109 Paladin self-propelled 155mm howitzers.
The Army plans to position the tracked vehicles near the Lincoln Memorial to avoid damaging roads and join the procession there.
Meanwhile, AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters will be in the air.
Vintage equipment from World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and the first Persian Gulf War will also be part of the parade.
The day will end with an enlistment and re-enlistment ceremony, a parachute demonstration by the Golden Knights, a concert and a fireworks display.
The Army Guard is also providing more than 600 Soldiers to support Department of Homeland Security requests for security assistance during Army birthday events, which run June 5-12.
More information about the events is available here.
The June 14 parade and celebration will be one of the first events to kick off a yearlong celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The last time a national military parade was held in the capital was June 1991 to celebrate the U.S. victory in the first Gulf War.
─ By John Goheen
