Trump’s military parade includes a dog and pony show. And the dog is called Doc Holliday

When the army celebrates its 250 birthday on June 14, a date that turns out to be the 79th birthday of President Donald Trump, the streets of Washington, DC, will be full of troops and tanks of World War II and the helicopters of the Vietnam War era.

34 horses, two mules, a car and a dog will also be included in the parade.

Army colonel Kamil Sztalkoper, a spokesman for the III armored body, said the dog is a blue heler (also known as an Australian cattle dog) called “Doc Holliday”, probably a wink to the famous gunman played by Val Kilmer in the movie “Tombstone”.

Doc joined the Army Cavalry Cavalry Detachment in Fort Cavazos, Texas, more than two years ago as a young puppy, said Sztalkoper. Part of the unit, which is mainly used for community events, is a car pulled by two mules. Doc rides in the back of the car.

“This is nothing for him. He is accustomed to parades,” said Sztalkoper, noting that Doc has already participated twice in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. And while Doc falls “definitely in the sweet and playful category,” Sztalkoper said that “he knows his place very well when it’s time for the parade.”

Doc and his unit plan from Texas on June 10 so they can arrive in Washington in time to participate in the army parade four days later.

Doc’s trip to the capital of the nation is part of a massive effort on the army, and Trump, to mark the birthday of the service milestone with a festival and a one -week parade that includes some 6,700 soldiers. The planning of the celebration has been underway for almost two years, according to the officials. It was not until this year after Trump’s inauguration, however, that officials began to explore options for the event to be even larger with a parade.

Trump had looked for a military parade in his first term, but the effort was discarded after the costs exceeded $ 90 million.

The final cost of this year’s event is unknown. While it is estimated that the army spends up to $ 45 million to deploy troops and equipment, the celebration is expected to require considerable security with a large -scale event such as the Super Bowl or the presidential inauguration.

Although army officials said there are no plans for any of the seven bands that participate in the parade to sing “Happy Birthday” to Trump, the Golden Knights Paracaí after the parade, Trump will also administer the constitutional oath to 250 army enlisted.

“It is a lot of money, but I think the amount of money is eclipsed for 250 years of service and sacrifice that American soldiers have given to this country,” said Army spokesman Steve Warren.

“We are seeing this as an opportunity to really strengthen the connection between the United States and its army,” he added. “So, yes, it is a lot of money, but it pales compared to what we are selling.”

The event is not the first military parade in Washington, although it is likely to be the biggest. The American army under President George Hw Bush celebrated a Victoria parade in June 1991 after the Persian Gulf War.

Army officials said the parade is designed to tell the history of the army, starting with troops with a revolutionary war attire. As the parade enters the Era of World War II, the troops will march along with the period JEEPS and a Sherman M4 tank, while a B-25 Mitchell Bomber plane, the Skytrain Douglas C-47 transport plane and four P-51 North American P-51 buzz bombers. The most recent conflicts will be represented with the helicopters of the UH-1 Huey Army, AH-1 Cobra, AH-64 Apache and Chinook CH-47.

They are also included in the Parade of 28 Abrams M1 tanks, 28 Stryker vehicles and four self-propelled obuses of Paladin M-109.

The Army began on Wednesday to load the tanks to the cars from its base in Fort Cavazos to make the walk to Washington, DC in the coming weeks. The tanks will be sent to Jessup, Maryland, before being loaded in trucks and driven to a staging area in Washington, near the Memorial Lincoln.