By Arjun Singh, Joseph Lord, Ryan Morgan
Contributing Writers
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spoke in honor of soldiers’ valor to cap off a parade celebrating the oldest military branch’s 250th birthday.
“The Army keeps us free,” Trump said, wrapping up the two-hour parade that was part of the festivities on Flag Day. “You make us strong, and tonight, you have made all Americans very proud.”
About 6,600 U.S. Army soldiers marched in the parade. They wore uniforms and were accompanied by legions of tanks, planes and helicopters from periods throughout U.S. history, from the Revolutionary War to the Gulf War to the present day.
“To every veteran across our land and right here in our nation’s capital, including six recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor: We love you, we honor you, and we salute your noble service to our flag and to our country,” Trump said.
He made a special reference to Gold Star Families — those who have lost relatives to combat — who were present at the event.
“As we celebrate tonight, we also think of the hundreds of thousands of Army soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for our nation, and selflessly laid down their lives in every war, from the Revolution to the War on Terror,” he said. “To the Gold Star Families with us today, the courage of your heroes is the bedrock on which our entire nation stands. We thank you. Yes, we thank you.”
Trump then turned to the day itself, saying that June 14, 1775 — the date that the Continental Congress authorized the raising of the Continental Army — was the day “Liberty got its shield and freedom got its sword.”
The formation of the Army preceded the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by more than a year, making the branch older than the United States itself.
“Time and again, America’s enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you,” Trump said. “Your defeat will be certain, your demise will be final, and your downfall will be total and complete.”
He listed several U.S. heroes: Gen. “Mad Anthony” Wayne, famous for leading a daring cliffside raid during the American Revolution; Gen. John Corse, who served in the Union Army during the Civil War and continued fighting after having lost a chunk of his cheekbone and part of his ear; and Col. Creighton Abrams, a young tank commander who famously quipped during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, “They’ve got us surrounded again, the poor bastards.”
Concluding his remarks, Trump said: “From Bunker Hill to San Juan Hill, from Gettysburg to Guadalcanal, from Yorktown to Shiloh, and from the trenches of the Argonne to the mountains of Afghanistan, the Army has forged a legacy of unmatched courage, untold sacrifice, and unequaled and undying glory.
“Thanks to their extraordinary service and devotion, 250 years later, America stands tall, America stands proud, and America stands free.”
‘Incredible Patriotism in the Air’
Many attendees were enthusiastic about the event. Some came out to support Trump, some came out to oppose him, most came out to support the Army, and a few were just excited by the prospect of seeing the military equipment in action.
“Trump certainly knows how to throw a birthday party,” said Robert Malka, who moved to Washington from Los Angeles. “There’s an incredible patriotism in the air that I haven’t really gotten to experience in my lifetime, at least not since 9/11.”
He said the armed forces “have been unfairly denigrated and unfairly demoralized” since 2020 and are “now experiencing a revival.”
People of all ages sported Army T-shirts and hats, with veterans’ hats identifying the units in which they served and information about their combat deployments.
Some at the event wore Make America Great Again merchandise and other Trump-themed clothing.
Stacey Carney, who drove to the city with her family as part of a planned vacation, said her relatives had been excited to learn that the parade would coincide with their trip.
“We support the military, we support President Trump, and I’m very excited that our country is able to celebrate our military like this,” Carney said.
Protesters could be seen in the crowd along Constitution Avenue, part of the nationwide protests against the Trump administration. Many of these were organized by the group No Kings, although no event was organized by the group in Washington.
Joan Miles, a 64-year-old woman from Randolph, Vermont, who made the long drive from New England to Washington, was among these protesters.
“I’ve been really upset about the way the Trump administration is not following our Constitution, and I think he’s instilling fear in people to protest,” she said. “I know a lot of my friends are very fearful to protest right now, and I’m not. And so, I felt it was a good opportunity to come down here, not go to one of the [No Kings] protests.”
Malka, meanwhile, said he was critical of the protests across the United States, saying No Kings was relying on a “very cheap and simple narrative.”
“Trump didn’t pull us up in our homes,” he said. “Trump didn’t, you know, allow millions of people to cross an open border. If Trump is indeed king, and I don’t believe that he is, then Trump is a very benevolent king indeed.”
