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A celebration of the 250th birthday of the Army, including a controversial military parade that President Trump has long wanted, will take over part of the nation's capital on Saturday. Jay Price of member station WUNC reports.
JAY PRICE, BYLINE: The president spoke at a kickoff 250th celebration earlier this week at Fort Bragg. That event offered some clues about what to expect in Washington - flyovers of military aircraft, static displays of Army vehicles and weapon systems and a blurring of the lines between the military and its civilian leaders, as the president's speech repeatedly veered off into politics. The Army had long planned a Washington birthday event without a parade, but Trump, who tried to get one staged during his first administration, said he wanted it.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Saturday is going to be a big day in Washington, D.C. You know, a lot of people said, we don't want to do that. I say, yeah, we do. We want to show off a little bit.
PRICE: Trump said the United States should also celebrate its past victories like other nations do.
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TRUMP: You know, recently, other countries celebrated the victory of World War I. France was celebrating - really. They were all celebrating. The only one that doesn't celebrate is the USA, and we're the ones that won the war. Without us, you'd all be speaking German right now.
PRICE: And his birthday also happens to be Saturday. It won't be a small party.
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MATT MCCOOL: We're preparing for an enormous turnout - hundreds of thousands of attendees.
PRICE: Matt McCool of the Secret Service's Washington Field Office led the security planning. More than 6,500 troops will be part of the event. The parade itself will include artillery pieces, rocket launchers, more than two dozen tanks and formations of soldiers in uniforms from different chapters of the Army's history. The flyovers will include modern and historic aircraft, and capping off the parade will be a jump by the Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team. Soldiers involved say they're excited to be part of such a high-profile celebration of their service branch.
JOSHUA EVANS: I look at this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
PRICE: Sgt 1st Class Joshua Evans is part of the parachute team.
EVANS: How many people get to exit an aircraft over our national capital and then fly their parachute into a landing zone with all eyes on you? You're the coolest thing that's happening right now. And then understanding the gravity of that situation and then going to work and performing for the American public.
PRICE: After they reach the ground, one of his team is expected to present Trump with a folded American flag. The celebration will end with a fireworks display.
Critics have called the parade too militaristic, the kind of thing dictators do, and objected to the cost, which could top $40 million. Practical objections include fears the tanks would damage the streets of the capital. Col. Jesse Curry of the Army Corps of Engineers said earlier this week that metal plates were being placed where the streets were most vulnerable, tank treads had been fitted with rubber pads and the drivers were specially trained.
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JESSE CURRY: We're using an abundance of caution. We want to protect these streets. This is our capital city as well, so we're committed to ensuring that we minimize any possible damage.
PRICE: Security officials also said they're keeping their eyes on protests, like those in Los Angeles against Immigration and Customs Enforcement roundups. At least nine groups have applied for permits to demonstrate during the event.
For NPR News, I'm Jay Price in Durham, North Carolina. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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