The historic uniforms that the U.S. Army has rescued for its 250th anniversary

The Continental Army, the origin of the current United States Army, was founded on this day, June 14, 1775.

The United States Army remembers the old days of its cavalry in Kentucky
The last 13 fallen unburied of a war between the United States and the United Kingdom

Every June 14, the US Army celebrates its anniversary, with a paradox: it is a country that has an Army older than it, since the Continental Army was founded at the beginning of the War of Independence (1775–1783), to group the armed forces of the thirteen British colonies in North America that took up arms against the British Empire to separate from it.

To commemorate this anniversary, the US Army plans to hold a large parade in Washington DC at 6:30 p.m. local time (12:30 a.m. on June 15 in Madrid) which will be broadcast on YouTube here:

Some interesting sights have already been seen during the parade rehearsals. In this video we can see soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division marching in 1st Cavalry Division uniforms used in the Vietnam War, in a video posted by @DanScavino on Twitter this Friday:

Good Morning, D.C.🇺🇸🦅#Army250 pic.twitter.com/6lNv1N3UO1

— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) June 13, 2025

This is not a historical reenactment. For this parade, the U.S. Army has provided some units with uniforms and weapons from different eras to represent the soldiers who served in their ranks throughout history. Here are some examples (click on the images to enlarge them).

As we can see in this photo from @usawtfm, in addition to uniforms, period weapons have also been provided. A soldier from the 101st Airborne Division shows off his M-16A1, issued by the Army alongside the OG-107 uniform with emblems of the 1st Cavalry Division for this parade.

This photo shows soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division receiving these uniforms on June 11. The uniforms also include trench coats and cartridge belts from that era.

The oldest uniforms in the parade will, logically, be those of the Old Guard, the nickname given to the 3rd Infantry Regiment, the oldest unit in the US Army, responsible for the custody of Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Old Guard has published these photos on its Facebook page. This unit regularly uses these historic uniforms from the Revolutionary War era in ceremonial events.

Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War I uniforms. This unit was founded as the 82nd Infantry Division on August 25, 1917. Its emblem at that time was identical to the current one, but without the "Airborne" label.

Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II uniforms. This unit was the first airborne division in the U.S. Army, receiving its current designation on August 15, 1942.

Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One) donning DBDU (Desert Battle Dress Uniform). The US Army adopted this style of uniform for desert environments in 1981, but it became especially popular in 1990 during the Gulf War.

Another photo from @usawtfm showing 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One) soldiers in their DBDU uniforms already on the street. In addition to the PASGT uniforms and helmets (popularly known as "Fritz" due to its resemblance to the German Stahlhelm of World War II), these soldiers have also been issued with trench coats and other gear of the ALICE system, now replaced by the MOLLE system.

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Photos: U.S. Army / The Old Guard / @usawtfm.