Many troops will enjoy a long, four-day weekend for Independence Day. The services will also be represented in various parades and flyovers across the country.
But among the top Pentagon July 4th events is a hot dog eating contest at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Four soldiers will compete against Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, who has been the undefeated champion since 2015 of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest hosted every July 4th in New York City. Chestnut set a record for eating 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes during a competition in 2021.
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Chestnut was banned from the competition this year after signing a deal with Impossible Foods, which makes plant-based hot dogs and has engaged in explicit marketing to attract meat eaters to vegetarian alternatives. Instead of participating in Nathan’s competition, Chestnut will eat with the Army in Texas.
Also in the Army, the service’s Brass Quintet will perform at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Fort Jackson in South Carolina will have a July 4th music festival open to the public in which its band as well as local bands will be featured, along with carnival rides, fireworks, food and beer trucks.
Farther up the East Coast, the USS Constitution will sail through Boston Harbor and perform 21- and 17-gun salutes on Independence Day. The ship, also known as Old Ironsides,…
