2012 Chilean Military Parade
| 2012 Chilean Military Parade | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 September 2012 |
| Venue | O'Higgins Park |
| Locations | Santiago, Chile |
| Country | Chile |
| Participants | 9,375 military and police personnel |
The 2012 Chilean Military Parade was held at O'Higgins Park in Santiago on 19 September 2012 to commemorate the Day of the Glories of the Army.
Presided over by President Sebastián Piñera, the military parade involved 9,375 personnel from the Chilean Armed Forces and Carabineros de Chile.[1][2][3][4]
The edition placed greater emphasis on personnel than on heavy military equipment, with the traditional display of tanks and other ground combat vehicles omitted. It also featured the first female official announcer for the Army's presentation, the debut of the Navy's Amphibious Expeditionary Brigade, foreign military bands from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and France, and the participation of the Chilean–Argentine Cruz del Sur peacekeeping force.[5][6][7]
Background
[edit]The annual military parade is held on 19 September as the principal ceremony commemorating the Day of the Glories of the Army. The 2012 edition was the third presided over by Piñera during his first presidency.[8]
Organizers sought to shorten the ceremony to approximately two hours, compared with the two and a half to three hours of previous editions. Distances between formations were reduced and the display was designed to emphasize military personnel rather than heavy equipment; Leopard 2 tanks, for example, were omitted.[5]
The preparatory review was held at O'Higgins Park on 17 September and was headed by Defence Minister Andrés Allamand. The planned contingent consisted of 9,375 personnel.[7][9]
The Army selected journalist Carolina Urrejola as the announcer for its presentation, making her the first woman to serve as an official announcer at the parade. The other institutional presentations were announced by Eduardo Riveros for the Navy, César Antonio Santis for the Air Force and Cristián Gordon for Carabineros.[1][4][5]
Female participation totalled 802 personnel: 195 from the Army, 107 from the Navy, 140 from the Air Force and 360 from Carabineros.[1]
Parade
[edit]The ceremony began at approximately 15:00 local time with the arrival of Piñera and Defence Minister Andrés Allamand. Piñera entered the O'Higgins Park ellipse aboard a 19th-century horse-drawn carriage and reviewed the service academies while escorted by mounted lancers.[8][6][10]
The traditional chicha en cacho was offered to Piñera by Rodolfo Morales, president of the Club de Rodeo Gil Letelier, followed by a performance of the cueca. Major General José Manuel Cichero Santos, commander of the presenting forces and commander of the Santiago Army Garrison, subsequently requested presidential authorization to begin the march-past.[11][9]
The march-past began at approximately 15:30 with the Military School, followed by the Arturo Prat Naval Academy, the Captain Manuel Ávalos Prado Air Force Academy and the General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Carabineros School.[10]
A total of 9,375 personnel participated in the ceremony.[1][2][3][10][9][4]
Contemporary sources reported 4,608 Army personnel, 1,329 Air Force personnel and 1,558 Carabineros. Sources differed slightly over the size of the naval contingent: advance and general coverage reported 1,604, while the Navy itself reported 1,584 participants.[1][3][9][6]
Foreign and peacekeeping formations
[edit]An international and historical echelon included approximately 200 members of military bands from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and France.[9][7][2]
The ceremony also included 76 personnel from the Chilean–Argentine Combined Joint Peace Force Cruz del Sur, together with the historical 4th Company of the 7th Chacabuco Regiment.[9][7]
Naval and Air Force contingents
[edit]The Navy's presentation included personnel from the Naval Polytechnic Academy and the newly created Amphibious Expeditionary Brigade of the Marine Corps, together with Naval Reserve companies.[6][9]
The Amphibious Expeditionary Brigade made its debut at the military parade with more than 600 personnel. Two Marine infantry battalions participated: the 21st Miller Battalion, based at Concón, and the 31st Aldea Battalion, based at Talcahuano.[6]
The Air Force fielded 1,329 personnel, including 140 women, and approximately 50 aircraft.[1][6]
The aerial component included F-16 fighters, ENAER T-35 Pillán training aircraft and the Halcones aerobatic team. A-29 Super Tucano aircraft also participated, including a formation of eight aircraft from Aviation Group No. 1.[12][6]
Carabineros and Army contingents
[edit]Carabineros participated with 1,558 personnel, including 360 women. Its presentation included the NCO School, training formations and specialized units.[1][9]
The institution's standards carried black mourning ribbons in memory of Corporal Cristián Martínez Badilla, who had died in the line of duty on 11 September. A tribute to Martínez was made during the Carabineros presentation.[10][6][4]
The Army provided 4,608 personnel, including 195 women. Its presentation began with the Great Band of the Santiago Garrison and continued with the historical and international echelon, the Army NCO School, II Motorized Division, III Mountain Division and the Lautaro Special Operations Brigade.[1][9][12]
The Army's presentation concluded with its mounted echelon. Army Aviation also participated with Puma and Cougar helicopters.[1]
Foreign guests
[edit]Among the principal foreign military guests were General Bertrand Ract-Madoux, Chief of Staff of the French Army, and Lieutenant General Luis Alberto Pozzi, Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Army.[1][7][6]
Military personnel from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and France also participated directly through their respective bands, while Argentine personnel formed part of the Cruz del Sur peacekeeping contingent.[2][9]
The parade lasted approximately one hour and forty minutes to two hours, shorter than several previous editions.[3][2][5]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Ejército conmemoró sus Glorias en la Gran Parada Militar 2012" (in Spanish). Chilean Army. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Parada Militar se realizó en el Parque O'Higgins encabezada por el Presidente Piñera". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Ulloa, Juan José (19 September 2012). "Las mejores imágenes de la Gran Parada Militar 2012". 24 Horas (in Spanish). TVN. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 UPI Chile (19 September 2012). "Presidente Piñera preside Parada Militar con participación de más de 9 mil efectivos". El Mostrador (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Reducción de tiempo y relato femenino marcarán Parada Militar 2012". La Tercera (in Spanish). 7 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Realizan preparatoria de Parada Militar 2012". La Tercera (in Spanish). 18 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Presidente Piñera encabeza su tercera Parada Militar en el Parque O'Higgins". Emol (in Spanish). 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Más de 9 mil efectivos de las distintas ramas de la Fuerza Armadas participarán de la Parada Militar". ADN Radio (in Spanish). 13 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Reconocimiento al difunto carabinero Cristián Martínez marca la Parada Militar 2012". Emol (in Spanish). 19 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ Agencia UPI (19 September 2012). "Presidente Sebastián Piñera da el vamos a la Parada Militar 2012". BioBioChile (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Homenaje a carabinero asesinado el 11 de septiembre marca Parada Militar". La Tercera (in Spanish). 20 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
