WASHINGTON (AP) — Grand military parade in DC marking US Army’s 250th birthday kicks off with tanks, troops and 21-gun salute.

Tanks and thousands of troops paraded through the streets of Washington, D.C., for the Army's 250th anniversary on President Donald Trump's birthday.

A mile-long line of tanks, some of the 150 military vehicles set to take part in Saturday’s parade, arrived in the capital by freight train over the weekend, video shared on X by reporter Benjamin Alvarez shows.

In preparation for the event, Army engineers installed steel plates in 13 locations along the parade route to protect roads where they would be most vulnerable.

"It's really fun, and honestly nerve-wracking," said Jonas Chu, an armored vehicle driver who will appear in the Army's 250th anniversary parade.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army reported Monday that initial assessments show no discernible damage to D.C. streets from Saturday's military parade celebrating the Army's 250th birthday, despite concerns about 70-ton tanks and heavy military vehicles rolling through the nation's capital.

Military veterans and local residents gathered in Washington, D.C. on June 14 to protest the military parade, President Trump, and ICE raids across the country.

A 33-mile trip from one protest in Annapolis, Md., to the parade grandstand in front of the White House was like a journey between two different countries.