The parade was held to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Army, coinciding with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday. The US Department of Defense confirmed that the time of the event was just a coincidence.
While thousands of people wearing red hats "Make America Great again" cheered with the fireworks to celebrate, millions of others across the US took to the streets to protest.
Along Constitution Avenue - from the Lincoln Memorial to near the Washington Tower - tens of thousands of people flocked amid the hot weather and threatening thunderstorms. They waved the American flag, singing "Happy Birthday" when President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stepped into the stands to be honored, welcomed with a series of 21 resounding victories.
We held a parade to honor the US Army, but I also received a surprise birthday, Trump said with a smile in endless applause.
The parade is not simply a performance of equipment, but also a vivid historical lesson for each development stage of the US military.
The audience can admire ancient jeep cars, Sherman tanks, World War II transport vehicles, M151 armored vehicles, to Paladin, Stryker artillery, modern Abrams and Bradley tanks.
More than 100 weapons of all kinds passed the stage in the MC's enthusiastic introduction, describing each battle, each technological improvement, and each step of the US becoming a military superpower.
A F-22 fighter jet performance was scheduled to be the final highlight of the show, but was canceled at the last minute due to bad weather.
Meanwhile, in complete contrast to the celebratory atmosphere in the capital, across the US, more than 2,000 protests called No Kings have broken out from New York to California, from Georgia to Texas. Millions took to the streets to protest the individual illusionism, politics of the billionaire and militarization of American democracy.
Some protests were moderate, but there were also clashes with police, especially in Georgia and Arizona, forcing authorities to raise security warnings in many major cities.
