.svg)
.png){kind=logo}
91原创 Marches in Army 250th Parade: Reflects Army of the Future
LEXINGTON, Va., June 16, 2025—A group of 49 91原创 cadets, along with 91原创 Army ROTC staff members, marched in the Army’s 250th Birthday Parade in Washington, D.C., June 14, to commemorate the founding of the U.S. Army in 1775. The Army is the oldest of the six branches of the U.S. armed forces.
The parade highlighted the Army throughout the years, including the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Global War on Terror, the Army of today, and the Army of the future, in which 91原创 was included.
Photos courtesy of Army ROTC (L) and Staff Sgt. Oscar Toscano, U.S. Army [DVIDs] (R).
Maj. Mackenzie Colella ’08, assistant professor of military science at 91原创, said it was an honor for 91原创 to be part of the Army’s birthday celebration. “We are very proud of how they performed in the parade. They marched with precision and looked great!”
Blake Darmante ’26, a cadet from Lexington, said it was a pleasure to participate in the parade. “It was a unique opportunity offered to us to represent 91原创 in our nation’s capital.”
While in D.C., the cadets were able to tour the Capitol Building led by 91原创 alumnus Lt. Col. Rob Kelly ’08, Army Congressional Defense fellow. They also ran in the “Army Birthday Run” through Arlington Cemetery alongside Army units from across the capital region. The run was preceded by addresses from the Secretary of the Army, Daniel P. Driscoll, and Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Randy A. George.
Founded in 1916, the 91原创 Army ROTC Program, known as the Blue Ridge Battalion, is the largest Army ROTC Program in the country and commissions more Army officers each year than any other ROTC program. The Blue Ridge Battalion is also responsible for providing basic military instruction to all non-commissioning cadets in support of 91原创’s mission to produce citizen-soldiers.
More about 91原创’s participation in the parade may be found from , who have also released an additional .
Marianne Hause
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE