When the Army celebrates its 250th birthday on June 14, a date that just so happens to be President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, the streets of Washington, D.C., will be filled with marching troops and tanks as World War II airplanes and Vietnam War-era helicopters swoop overhead.
Also included in the parade will be 34 horses, two mules, one wagon and a dog.
Army Col. Kamil Sztalkoper, a spokesman for the III Armored Corps, said the dog is a Blue Heeler (aka an Australian Cattle Dog) named “Doc Holliday” — likely a nod to the famous gunslinger played by Val Kilmer in the movie “Tombstone.”
Doc joined the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment at Fort Cavazos, Texas, more than two years ago as a young puppy, Sztalkoper said. Part of the unit, which is used mostly for community events, is a wagon pulled by two mules. Doc rides in the back of the wagon.
“This is nothing for him. He’s used to parades,” said Sztalkoper, noting that Doc has participated twice already in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. And while Doc falls “definitely in the sweet and playful category,” Sztalkoper said he “knows his place very well when it’s time for the parade.”
Doc and his unit plan to depart Texas on June 10 so they can reach Washington in time to participate in the Army parade four days later.
Doc’s trip to the nation’s capital is part of a massive effort underway by the Army — and Trump — to mark the service’s milestone birthday with a weeklong festival and parade that includes some 6,700 soldiers. Planning for the celebration has been under way for close to two years, according to officials. It wasn’t until this year following Trump’s inauguration, however, that officials began exploring options to make the event even bigger with a parade.
Trump had sought a military parade in his first term, but the effort was scrapped after costs topped $90 million.
The final cost of this year’s event is unknown. While the Army is estimated to spend up to $45 million to deploy troops and equipment, the celebration is expected to require considerable security on par with a large-scale event like the Super Bowl or presidential inauguration.
Though Army officials said there are no plans for any of the seven bands participating in the parade to sing “happy birthday” to Trump, the Golden Knights will parachute onto the White House Ellipse and offer the president a folded American flag. After the parade, Trump will also administer the constitutional oath to 250 Army enlistees.
“It is a lot of money, but I think that amount of money is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice that American soldiers have given this country,” Army spokesman Steve Warren said.
“We’re looking at this as an opportunity to really strengthen the connection between America and her Army,” he added. “So, yeah, it’s a lot of money, but it pales in comparison to what we’re selling.”
The event isn’t the first military parade in Washington, though it is likely to be the biggest. The U.S. military under President George H.W. Bush held a victory parade in June 1991 following the Persian Gulf War.
Army officials said the parade is designed to tell the history of the Army, starting with troops wearing Revolutionary War garb. As the parade enters the World War II era, troops will march alongside period jeeps and an M4 Sherman tank while a B-25 Mitchell bomber aircraft, Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport plane and four North American P-51 Mustang fighter-bombers buzz overhead. More recent conflicts will be represented with Army UH-1 Huey, AH-1 Cobra, AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
Also included in the parade are 28 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker vehicles and four M-109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers.
The Army on Wednesday began loading the tanks on to rail cars from its base in Fort Cavazos to make the trek to Washington, D.C. later this month. The tanks will be shipped to Jessup, Maryland, before being loaded onto trucks and driven to a staging area in Washington near the Lincoln Memorial.
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