2003 Chilean Military Parade
| 2003 Chilean Military Parade | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 September 2003 |
| Venue | O'Higgins Park |
| Locations | Santiago, Chile |
| Country | Chile |
| Participants | Approximately 9,500 military and police personnel |
The 2003 Chilean Military Parade was held at O'Higgins Park in Santiago on 19 September 2003 to commemorate the «Day of the Glories of the Army».
Presided over by President Ricardo Lagos, the military parade involved approximately 9,500 personnel from the Chilean Armed Forces and Carabineros de Chile. The ceremony was characterized by a comparatively austere deployment, with the Chilean Army omitting its mechanized and armoured forces from the parade for the first time.[1][2]
Among the principal features of the parade were the growing participation of women in the armed forces, including the first appearance of female recruits from the Chilean Navy, and an aerial display by nine Mirage M5 Elkan fighter aircraft of the Chilean Air Force.[2]
Background
[edit]The 2003 parade continued a policy of reducing the amount of heavy military equipment displayed during the annual ceremony. The Army decided not to deploy its mechanized and armoured formations, including MOWAG armoured vehicles and Leopard 1 and M-41 tanks. Contemporary reports described the resulting ceremony as one of the more austere military parades of the preceding years.[1][3]
Approximately 5,000 Army personnel and more than 200 horses were assigned to its echelon. The formations included the Military Institutes Command, units of the II Army Division, special forces and mounted units. Among the participating formations were the historical company of the 6th Infantry Regiment "Chacabuco", a female company from the Non-Commissioned Officers School, the 1st Infantry Regiment "Buin", the Military Police Battalion and personnel from the Parachute and Special Forces School.[1]
The participation of women was one of the most prominent aspects of the ceremony, reflecting their increasing incorporation into the armed forces and Carabineros. The Navy prepared a contingent of female recruits for its first participation by women in naval uniform in the Santiago parade.[2][3]
Parade
[edit]The ceremony began at approximately 15:33 when President Ricardo Lagos, accompanied by Defence Minister Michelle Bachelet, arrived at the O'Higgins Park ellipse and reviewed the military academies of the Armed Forces and Carabineros.[1]
Before the military march-past, representatives of the Mapuche and Aymara peoples performed a brief presentation before the authorities with traditional clothing, music and dances.[2]
Major General Luis Clavel Matzen, commander of the parade forces, then requested presidential authorization to begin the march-past. The military academies opened the parade, followed successively by the Navy, Air Force, Carabineros and Army echelons.[1]
The Navy's participation included, for the first time, a group of 30 female recruits. Their appearance formed part of the institution's progressive incorporation of women into naval service and was one of the principal novelties highlighted during the ceremony.[2]
The Air Force presentation included an aerial formation of nine Mirage M5 Elkan fighter aircraft. Other military formations and the mounted Army echelon subsequently crossed the ellipse, while the Army's mechanized and armoured formations were absent from the parade.[2]
The Army echelon included formations from the Military Institutes Command and II Army Division, special forces personnel and mounted units. The mounted component comprised an instrumental and bugle band, a cavalry squadron and a horse-drawn Krupp artillery battery.[1]
The parade lasted almost two hours and concluded at approximately 17:25. After Major General Clavel reported the completion of the march-past, Lagos congratulated the participating forces. Army commander-in-chief General Juan Emilio Cheyre subsequently described the ceremony as a demonstration of the modernization and professionalization of the Armed Forces.[2]
Photographic records of the ceremony are preserved by the Archivo Presidente Ricardo Lagos of the Diego Portales University, documenting Lagos's attendance at the 2003 parade.[4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Parada Militar comienza sin problemas en el Parque O'Higgins". Emol (in Spanish). 19 September 2003. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Con felicitaciones del Presidente culminó Parada Militar 2003". Emol (in Spanish). 19 September 2003. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Sin tanques ni grandes blindados desfilaron militares chilenos". La Nación (in Spanish). EFE. 19 September 2003. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Parada Militar 2003" (in Spanish). Archivo Ricardo Lagos Escobar, Universidad Diego Portales. 19 September 2003. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
