The Army said it would pay to repair any damage to D.C. streets caused by military equipment during next month’s Flag Day parade, according to media reports.
The June 14 parade, which coincides with President Trump’s 79th birthday and marks the Army’s 250th anniversary, will feature 6,700 soldiers from all Army divisions, aircraft and ground equipment including howitzers, tanks and other fighting vehicles, Army spokesperson Steve Warren said, according to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.
Some equipment such as Abrams tanks, which weigh 68 tons, will require reinforcement of the streets. The Army will put down steel plates on the streets to help support that weight. Col. Jesse Curry, director of the Office of the Chief of Engineers at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said “the Army is responsible for any damage,” Axios reported.
In April, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a parade skeptic, said “if military tanks were used, they should be accompanied with many millions of dollars to repair the roads.”
Mr. Trump had wanted to hold a parade during his first administration, but his plans were dashed by concerns about the damage the military hardware would cause to the roads.
The District has not hosted a military parade since 1991, following the end of Operation Desert Storm. During that parade, tanks left tread marks on the heat-softened asphalt on Constitution Avenue.
The Army said in promotional material that the Flag Day festivities will start in the morning of June 14 with a wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery, followed by a fitness competition, awards ceremony and festival on the National Mall.
The parade will run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. along Constitution Avenue NW, starting at 23rd Street NW and ending at 15th Street NW, according to an Army route map.
The Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team is scheduled to descend onto the Ellipse north of the National Mall, and Mr. Trump will administer the enlistment oath to 250 soldiers, according to Axios. A concert and fireworks will follow.
The activities are projected to cost between $25 million and $45 million.
“It is a lot of money, but I think that amount of money is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice that, you know, American soldiers have given this country. We’re looking at this as an opportunity to really strengthen the connection between America and her Army,” Mr. Warren said, according to Stars and Stripes.
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