Plans for a Veterans Day military parade, as directed by President Donald Trump, are coming together, but there will be no tanks rolling down the streets of Washington, D.C., according to a memo from the Pentagon.
The memo, which provides initial planning guidance for the Nov. 11 parade, was released Friday evening.
“This parade will focus on the contributions of our veterans throughout the history of the U.S. military, starting from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 to today, with an emphasis on the price of freedom,” the memo reads.
According to the memo, the parade will only include wheeled vehicles — and not tanks — in order to “minimize the damage to local infrastructure.”
The parade will, however, include a “heavy air component” at the end, to include older aircraft as available.
The parade will run from the White House to the U.S. Capitol, according to the memo.
It will represent veterans from previous wars by formations wearing period uniforms, as well as portions that highlight the evolution of women veterans from separate formations in World War II to today’s integrated formations.
Plans also call for Medal of Honor recipients to stand with Trump in the reviewing area at the Capitol, according to the memo.
The parade will be integrated with the annual D.C. Veterans Day parade.
Trump has said he got the idea for a parade after attending France’s Bastille Day parade last year.
However, the idea has been controversial. Democratic lawmakers have introduced measures to stop a parade, calling it a waste of time and resources.
A recent Military Times poll found that the vast majority of respondents oppose the idea for a parade. With more than 100,000 people voting, the majority, 88 percent, said the military has more important needs to address.
White House budget director Mick Mulvaney recently told Congress that a parade could cost between $10 million and $30 million.
Michelle Tan is the editor of Army Times and Air Force Times. She has covered the military for Military Times since 2005, and has embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Haiti, Gabon and the Horn of Africa.
