- Flag Day 2025 features a massive military parade in D.C. with 6,000 soldiers.
- Trump celebrates his 79th birthday amid protests like 'No Kings' across the nation.
- Public opinion is divided, with many opposing the parade's $25 million to $45 million cost.
SALT LAKE CITY — Saturday is Flag Day — an annual national observance that, for most Americans, comes and goes with little fanfare.
Held annually on June 14, Flag Day is not a federal holiday. Few people get a paid day off. The mail's still delivered. And when the observance falls on a weekday, the banks, post offices and government buildings remain open.
But this Saturday's Flag Day observance will be different — both in Utah and across the country — thanks to an unusual confluence of military history, a Donald Trump-championed military parade and, yes, plenty of looming national tension.
Happy birthday: America's Army turns 250
Called "America's First Institution," the U.S. Army was established on June 14, 1775 — 250 years ago. Since that time, tens of millions of Americans have worn the soldiers' uniform. The Army remains the largest branch of the U.S. military, with over 443,000 active duty personnel.
Those force numbers are growing. After a period of recruitment struggles, enlistment numbers in the U.S. Army are up — a trend being seen across the U.S. Armed Forces.
The Army's 250th anniversary events include Saturday's high-profile, divisive massive military parade in Washington, D.C. The event, curiously, falls on the Army's historic anniversary, on Flag Day — and on Trump's 79th birthday.
Locally, Utah's Army-attached organizations are hosting a multi-event birthday party Saturday at the U.S. Army Reserve Center at Fort Douglas.
Meanwhile, scores of "No Kings" protests are expected across the country, including several in Utah, as counter-observations to the Trump-championed military parade in Washington, D.C.
A massive — and costly — Army celebration
More than 6,000 soldiers, 28 Abrams tanks, 28 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 28 Stryker vehicles, eight marching bands, 24 horses, two mules and an Army dog named Doc Holliday are expected to participate Saturday in the Army's Washington, D.C., parade, ABC News reported.
There will also be 50 aircraft flying overhead — including World War II-era platforms like the M4 Sherman tank, the Douglas C-47 transport aircraft and the P-51 Mustang fighter. Cobra and Huey helicopters, too, according to the Army.
The parade will have troops dressed in Revolutionary War garb and then move through the various wars in history, the Army said. As the troops and equipment march through D.C., any aircraft corresponding to that era will fly overhead.
The military parade, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in D.C. (4:30 p.m. MDT), will follow along Constitution Avenue from 23rd to 15th streets and end near the White House, where parachutists with the Army's Golden Knights are expected to jump on to the Ellipse and offer the president a folded flag.
Staging such an event isn't cheap.
The Army said it expects to spend anywhere from $25 million to $45 million on this year's events, although the final tally is expected to be much higher when other costs are factored in, according to ABC News.
The Army, incidentally, will have to pick up the cost for any damage done to roads in Maryland and Washington.
Trump, who had hoped to stage a grand military parade during his first term in office, has said the parade's price tag would be a bargain.
"Peanuts compared to the value of doing it," Trump told NBC News.
"We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we're going to celebrate it."
Americans: Mixed feelings about the D.C. military parade
No surprise, the Trump-championed military parade is divisive.
About 6 in 10 Americans say that Saturday's parade is "not a good use" of government money, including the vast majority of people, 78%, who neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to the poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Most Republicans polled, around two-thirds, approve of the event, and a similar share sees it as a good use of money, but about one-third say it's not a good use of government funds, the Associated Press reported.
Democrats, meanwhile, overwhelmingly say the parade is not a good use of public money, as do independents. And while about half of Democrats disapprove of the parade, about half of independents neither approve nor disapprove, suggesting that they may have heard less about it or have less strong feelings about it generally.
A return to military parades?
While military parades are not common in the United States, especially in recent decades, they are not unprecedented over the past century.
The events of World War II prompted a pair of massive parades in New York City.
On June 13, 1942, crowds of people filled the streets of New York City to witness the city's "At War Parade."
In 1946, another military parade was held in New York to celebrate the Allied nations' victory over the coalition of Axis powers in World War II. More than 10,000 soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division reportedly participated alongside dozens of tanks and other military hardware.
President Dwight Eisenhower's 1953 inaugural parade included 22,000 military service members, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
The marchers were joined by a cannon capable of firing a nuclear warhead. It was "the most elaborate inaugural pageant ever held," according to the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum.
President John F. Kennedy's 1961 inauguration took place under the chill of the Cold War. So, perhaps it was not surprising to see dozens of missiles paraded for the world — including the Nike Zeus, the Army's first missile designed to intercept ballistic missiles.
Kennedy waved to marching soldiers and sailors aboard enormous Navy boats being towed down Pennsylvania Avenue. The boats resembled a vessel he commanded during World War II that was rammed by a Japanese destroyer, CNN reported.
Three decades would pass before the nation staged another large-scale military parade.
In 1991, troops marched down Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., in a victory parade celebrating the end of the Persian Gulf War.
The elaborate celebration, which cost $12 million, drew scattered protests from critics, who said that it glorified militarism.
Utah celebrates U.S. Army history
A collection of Utah-based Army organizations are celebrating their service's 250th birthday with a public celebration Saturday that will include flyovers, reenactments and plenty of military hardware.
Staged at the U.S. Army Reserve Center at Fort Douglas — 102 Soldier Circle, Salt Lake City — the Utah celebration begins Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and will include a short ceremony highlighted by a helicopter flyover and remarks from senior military and civilian leaders.
After the opening ceremony, attendees can enjoy static vehicle displays, reenactments and historical military demonstrations.
The event is scheduled to last until about 4 p.m.
"Celebrating the Army's 250th birthday alongside the Tooele Army Depot, Dugway Proving Ground, and Army Reserve highlights the strength that comes when we work together," said Brig. Gen. Shawn Fuellenbach, commander of the Utah Army National Guard.
"We each bring something unique to the fight, each of us part of the same mission with a purpose that is timeless and clear.
"This moment is about recognizing our history and how far we've come together. I'm proud to celebrate this milestone with teammates who exemplify what it means to serve."
Also happening Saturday — scores of 'No Kings' protests
Expect the Washington, D.C., military celebration to share national headlines Saturday with broad coverage of spirited "No Kings" protests.
Trump administration opponents are organizing rallies in hundreds of cities on the same day as the D.C. military parade.
"President Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn't staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else," according to the No Kings website.
"'No Kings' is a nationwide day of defiance. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we're taking action to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like.
"We're not gathering to feed his ego. We're building a movement that leaves him behind."
In Utah, "No Kings" protests are scheduled at Salt Lake City's University of Utah in the morning and at Pioneer Park in the early evening.
According to the "No Kings" website, similar rallies are expected Saturday in Park City, Heber City, Provo, Price, Ephraim, Moab, Boulder, Cedar City and St. George.
The group's website states that "nonviolent actions" is a core principle.
"We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events."
Weapons, the group added, don't belong at the "No Kings" events.
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Jason Swensen
