Standing in front of a monument to the end of the Revolutionary War, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told the crowd, which included soldiers from the 7th Transportation Brigade, that Yorktown is where the Army began.
“Yorktown is where the Army's legacy actually sprung to life. After years of hardships, defeat and sacrifice, our Army turned the world upside down right here,” he said.
On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress voted to create the Continental Army. The next day, Congress voted to appoint George Washington commander-in-chief. The British surrender at Yorktown on Oct. 19, 1781 marks the end of the final battle of the war.
Driscoll focused his remarks on the Army Transformation Initiative, a series of policy initiatives from the new administration. Changes include increasing the use of drones, cutting waste and investing in the president’s “Golden Dome For America” project.
“We stand at a crossroads where we must choose to transform our army to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world,” Driscoll said. “Let us draw inspiration from the heroes of Yorktown. Let us embrace innovation and let us stride boldly forward.”
The site of the final battle of the Revolutionary War was the second stop for the celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday. Earlier in the week at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, President Donald Trump announced bases stripped of Confederate ties will have those names restored. Virginia’s Fort Gregg-Adams, once named after the Confederate General Robert E. Lee, will now be named after Private Fitz Lee, a Medal of Honor recipient from the Spanish-American War.
The change means Fort Gregg-Adams in Petersburg is losing the name it was given in 2023 to honor Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, the first African American Lt. General and Charity Adams, who led the only unit of African American women to deploy overseas in World War II. Her unit was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in April.
On Saturday, the Army’s 250th Anniversary celebration will conclude with a parade through Washington D.C, including tanks and artillery. The date is also President Trump’s birthday. Trump had previously discussed the idea of holding a military parade through Washington during his first term. Trump told the crowd at Fort Bragg that there had been pushback but that he insisted. The event has been criticized for its $25 to $45 million price tag. It will include more than 6,000 soldiers.
The group No Kings is planning more than 2,000 demonstrations around the country as a show of defiance to coincide with the parade in Washington. Locally, events are planned in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Williamsburg and Yorktown.
