Exclusive — U.S. Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley on Army Parade: ‘A Call to Inspire the Next Generation of Service-Minded Americans’
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
WASHINGTON, DC — Ambassador Monica Crowley, the Chief of Protocol for the United States, told Breitbart News exclusively that the big 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army parade on Saturday in Washington will be a “patriotic celebration” of the history of the first branch of the U.S. military but also serve to inspire Americans for the future.
The parade comes on Trump’s birthday as well, as the president of the United States will turn 79 on Saturday, and Saturday is also Flag Day in the United States. It comes right before Father’s Day too, which is on Sunday this upcoming weekend.
“The MAGA generation really is the natural heir to the Revolutionary generation, and that’s what makes this whole next year of celebration of America’s 250th birthday so incredibly special,” Crowley, who in her role at the State Department serves as the chief spokesperson for the America 250 efforts, told Breitbart News this week. “It is an absolute gift that we have America’s 250 while Donald Trump is president of the United States. That is the bigger framework into which all of the events over the next year are going to take place. That’s the bigger context. And we are so lucky to have President Trump as president during this period of time. In terms of Saturday—on Saturday, June 14, we have a number of huge events happening. We are going to be celebrating the Army’s 250th birthday. And when President Trump came into office this time, he made it very clear that he wants to have a very special birthday celebration to honor and celebrate the very first military branch that was constituted to protect and defend the young American republic. That’s the U.S. Army. So, we have the Army birthday. We have Flag Day, and as you mentioned, we also have President Trump’s birthday—all very providential. Let’s talk specifically about this military parade. So, on Saturday, we are going to commemorate 250 years of the Army’s history, strength, service, and sacrifice, with a massive landmark celebration here in Washington DC. This is not simply a military parade. This parade is going to be a tribute to our history. It’s going to be a patriotic celebration of the Army’s legacy, and it’s also going to be a call to inspire the next generation of service-minded Americans.”
The event in the nation’s capital on Saturday night will take place from around 6:30 p.m. to around 9:30 p.m. local time. The event is open to the public, and Crowley encourages anyone who wants to go to visit the website for the organization America 250 to get free tickets, which will be needed to enter the parade grounds because of intensified U.S. Secret Service security screening.
“Now for the specifics, we encourage everybody to visit America250.org to get their free tickets,” Crowley said. “Registration is super quick, super easy, and the tickets are free, but you do have to register because everybody is going to have to go through Secret Service and so you need to register on the website so that they can deliver specific arrival instructions for you. There are no physical tickets—it’s just a digital registration, but you need that to gain entrance to the parade grounds. The parade itself is going to take place from 6:30 to about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. Gates for the parade open at 2 p.m. The official parade starts at about 6:30 along Constitution Avenue, between 15th and 23rd streets, and we are encouraging all guests to arrive early and plan accordingly because, again, we know that the left—just take a look at what’s happening in Los Angeles. Security is going to be very tight because we want a very festive event, but we also want a very safe one. So, everybody is going to have to be processed by the Secret Service to get to their parade ground location. So, register early and arrive early.”
As for specific things parade-goers can expect to see at the Army parade, Crowley listed off several major pieces of military hardware.
“So, the grand military parade is going to bring to life 250 years of Army history, from the Revolutionary War to today’s cutting-edge technology,” Crowley said. “We are going to have about 120 military vehicles and artillery pieces going back to World War II including aircraft. So, we are going to have 28 M1A1 Abrams tanks, 28 Bradleys, 28 Strykers. We’re going to have four Paladin Howitzers and many, many more. We are also going to have 7,000 military personnel marching in this parade. In the air, we are going to have 51 aircraft including historic World War II and Vietnam-era flyovers and—a very special treat—a potential F-22 appearance, which is going to be very cool. In terms of missile systems, we are going to feature HIMARS launchers. So, you are going to have everything from the Revolutionary War including historic reenactments, elite military bands, precision flyovers. You’re going to see tanks, all kinds of weapons systems, and it’s just going to be an incredibly good time as well as very important. We’re also going to be honoring military veterans, both past and present, including wounded warriors and Gold Star families.”
After the riots in Los Angeles this weekend, Crowley said that Trump administration officials are leaving nothing to chance in terms of security.
“We take safety and security of every American and at all of these events incredibly seriously. and we do see what’s happening in Los Angeles,” she said. “So, the commission, America 250, the White House task force, we are all in very close coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, with the United States Secret Service, with the Washington, DC, police—Metro Police Department. We are in very close coordination with all of them to make sure that every American is protected during this event and subsequent 250 events, and that the events are not only going to be incredibly powerful and festive and fun for everybody, but also incredibly secure and safe.”
What’s being celebrated, she said, is the American spirit of freedom and rugged individualism.
“Like I said, this is an absolute gift that President Trump is going to be presiding over this 250th birthday of America,” Crowley said. “It is such a testament to our Founding Fathers, who were absolute visionaries. We’ve had a few visionaries as President of the United States—a few, not all, but a few presidents have been actual visionaries. By that, I mean they were able to see what the world was going to look like 20, 30, 40, years down the road and make American policy, or in the case of the founders, create a nation based on where the world was going. Those founding fathers were a genius cluster, and that genius cluster gifted us incredibly, astonishingly durable governing documents that are the envy of the world from the Declaration of Independence—which we are going to celebrate next year at 250 years—to the Constitution, to the Bill of Rights. They have gifted us the greatest government in the history of the world because it is based on individual freedom, limited government, and human rights, and the durability of that system, despite constant onslaughts and constant crises—from the Civil War to two World Wars to a Great Depression to the enemies within—that the fact that this system has survived for and thrived for 250 years and beyond is a testament to the system that they gave us, the founding documents that they gave us, but most importantly, it is a testament to the American character and the American people who have absorbed the character of this nation from the beginning from the Pilgrims’ arrival for religious freedom. The American people have freedom in their DNA, this sense of rugged individualism and a fierce fight for freedom. Because of that American character, we have been able to survive and thrive. What President Trump is going to do over the next year is help us all celebrate those founding documents, our founding system, and the American spirit and character.”
Crowley said that beyond this coming Saturday’s parade, she is intricately involved in other major upcoming America 250 events as well as other major U.S.-led events like the upcoming 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and the FIFA World Cup next year.
“When the President nominated me to serve as Ambassador and Chief of Protocol of the United States, he also added the additional portfolio of being his administration representative for major U.S.-hosted events over the next three and a half years,” Crowley said. “That includes America 250, it includes the FIFA World Cup, and it includes the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, which President Trump heroically brought to the United States in his first term. So, I am playing a critical role in amplifying everything that we have planned with regard to those three events, and I’m sure there will be other events coming down the road as well to make sure that the American people, as well as the global public, understands what we are celebrating here. What we’re celebrating is America, our founding principles, but also for the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games, we are showcasing American dynamism, strength, purpose, and leadership under President Trump. America is back. All of these events are going to highlight the fact that America is back. We want to show that America is the safest, most secure, and most dynamic place in the world to host these international events in terms of what’s coming up. I don’t want to get in front of the president too much in terms of what we’re planning and what we’re thinking. We will allow him to make those big announcements. But what I can tell you is over the next year, and we’re kicking off with this Saturday with Army 250 then of course we’re going to have a massive July 4 party in Washington, DC, this year to mark the 12-month mark until next year’s plans. So huge, huge party going on here on July 4 this year as well. There is a national commission overseeing national events, along with the White House task force. Every state in the union has their own task force. So, you will be able to see on the America250.org website, all 50 states and what their commissions have planned so you can attend events all year in your neck of the woods as well. So, I can tell you next July 4, it’s all going to culminate in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. All I can tell you right now is it is going to blow everybody away. This celebration is going to be fitting and worthy of the greatest nation on Earth and the greatest, most generous, fiercest freedom fighters on Earth, the American people.”
Other nations around the world like the British and French are keen to be part of this whole thing as well.
“We’ve already gotten tremendous international response to America 250 and because of the history of the American Revolution, I can say that the British and the French will be playing key roles over the next year and in particular next July 4 for sure. But we’ve had countries—allies around the world—reach out to us wanting to play very important roles as well in helping to celebrate the United States of America,” Crowley said. “When it comes to Saturday’s Army 250 parade map, we are going to have the Diplomatic Corps represented so ambassadors to the United States will be present at the military parade to celebrate America and Army 250.”
Source link