At least two M1A1 Abrams tanks and two Bradley fighting vehicles with other military vehicles that will participate in July Fourth celebrations in Washington on Thursday have arrived in D.C.
A photographer for the Associated Press spotted M1A1 Abrams tanks along with four other military vehicles on a freight train in southeast D.C. on Monday night.
According to media reports in recent weeks, 60-ton Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles accompanied by M88 recovery vehicles and other military vehicles will be showcased on “static display” at the National Mall.
The defense officials also said that different branches of the military are expected to provide air assets for the the Fourth of July celebration: the Army will bring four Apache helicopters; the Navy will bring two F-35s and two F/A-18s; the Air Force will supply a B-2 bomber, two F-22s, and the Air Force One plane; the Marine Corps will bring the new Marine One that is still in test and evaluation phase, as well as two V-22 Ospreys; the Coast Guard will have a Jayhawk and a Dolphin helicopter as well as a turboprop plane; and the Navy’s Blue Angels will close out the aerial review with six F/A-18 Hornets, featuring as many as 16 pilots.
“We’re going to have a great Fourth of July in Washington, D.C. It’ll be like no other,” Trump said. “It’ll be special and I hope a lot of people come. And it’s going to be about this country and it’s a salute to America.”
“I’m going to say a few words and we’re going to have planes going overhead, the best fighter jets in the world and other planes, too,” he said.
Trump plans to deliver a speech at the Lincoln Memorial during his “Salute to America,” which has been added to the regular schedule of Independence Day events in the nation’s capital. The annual fireworks display will go off closer to the Lincoln Memorial instead of the Washington Monument, as has been the long-standing tradition.
The event is open to the public and free of charge, but a ticket-only area in front of the memorial is being set aside for VIPs, including members of Trump’s family, friends and members of the military, the White House said.
