The parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army was a joyous occasion that honored over two centuries of sacrifices of some of the bravest men and women in our nation’s history. With the country less than 13 months from celebrating its semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026, a parade honoring 250 years of the U.S. Army was a brilliant idea. President Donald Trump has vowed to make America great again, and with Saturday’s extravaganza, he also helped make patriotism great again. 

Spectators were greeted with a parade, pun intended, of American history. Chronicling the Army’s journey over 250 years, the parade started with a colonial-era unit brought to life by the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, recognizing the Army’s birth on June 14, 1775, in Philadelphia by the Second Continental Congress. Different units representing various eras in history marched by with Army soldiers dressed in the appropriate uniforms of the times.