For the French, this
year's Bastille Day has an additional poignancy as the first anniversary of one
of the deadliest radical Islamist terror attacks of the past few years.
The national holiday marks
the storming on July 14, 1789, of the Bastille. The taking of the Bastille was
a catalyst for the French Revolution. Since 1880, the signal event of Bastille
Day has been the military parade down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees to the Arc
de Triomphe. This year America is the national
guest of honor and the parade will be led for the first time by US troops.
According to Robert
Sisk at Military.com,
“About 200 troops from US European Command will have the honor of leading the
parade to mark the centennial of the US entry into World War I in 1917. The US
Air Force Thunderbirds and an F-22 Raptor will also conduct a flyover of the
parade.
"France stood with
us during the American Revolution, and that strategic partnership endures
today," Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, EuCom commander and NATO supreme
commander, said in a statement.
"On behalf of the
60,000 service members standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the French to ensure
Europe is whole, free and at peace, we are honored to lead the Bastille Day
Parade and help celebrate French independence," he said.
"During the
centennial of America's entry into World War I, we commemorate America's sons
and daughters who defended peace─many of them descendants of European
immigrants who came to America seeking freedom, opportunity and a better
life," Scaparrotti said.
"Amidst the
horrors of war, over four million Americans served in World War I and more than
100,000 Americans made the ultimate sacrifice," he said.
The troops
participating in the parade will include soldiers from the Army's 1st Infantry
Division, which was the first unit to enter France in World War I. Other units participating will be the Army's
173rd Airborne Brigade; the Army's 10th Mountain Division; US Army Europe's 7th
Army Training Command; sailors from US Naval Forces Europe; airmen from US Air
Forces Europe; and Marines from U.S. Marine Forces Europe.
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