2014 Chilean Military Parade
| 2014 Chilean Military Parade | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 September 2014 |
| Venue | O'Higgins Park |
| Locations | Santiago, Chile |
| Country | Chile |
| Participants | 8,435 military and police personnel |
The 2014 Chilean Military Parade was held at O'Higgins Park in Santiago on 19 September 2014 to commemorate the Day of the Glories of the Army.
Presided over by President Michelle Bachelet, the military parade involved 8,435 personnel from the Chilean Armed Forces and Carabineros de Chile.[1][2][3][4]
The edition was the first military parade of Bachelet's second presidency. Among its features were the participation of a Chilean–Argentine peacekeeping contingent, personnel associated with Chile's deployment in Haiti, an Army reservist battalion and the presentation of new service rifles by Army and Marine Corps units.[5][6]
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 2014 ceremony marked the 204th anniversary commemorated by the Army and was the first presided over by Bachelet following the beginning of her second term as president in March 2014.[1][2][7]
The preparatory review was scheduled for 17 September at O'Higgins Park and was headed by Defence Minister Jorge Burgos.[8]
The Army planned two notable additions to its presentation. A battalion of approximately 300 reservists was formed from personnel associated with the 1st Buin Infantry Regiment, 1st Tacna Artillery Regiment, 1st Santiago Military Police Regiment and the Infantry and Telecommunications schools. Personnel associated with the Batallón Chile, deployed as part of Chile's participation in the United Nations mission in Haiti, were also represented.[5][1]
Parade
[edit]Bachelet arrived at the O'Higgins Park ellipse shortly before 15:00 local time accompanied by Defence Minister Jorge Burgos. She reviewed the service academies while travelling aboard a military vehicle and was escorted by mounted personnel of the 1st Granaderos Armoured Cavalry Regiment.[9][10]
The traditional chicha en cacho was offered to Bachelet by the Club de Huasos Gil Letelier, followed by a cueca presentation. Brigadier General Leonardo Martínez Menanteau, commander of the Santiago Army Garrison and the presenting forces, subsequently requested presidential authorization to begin the parade.[9][10][7]
The march-past began with the bands of the Military School playing the Radetzky March, followed by the service academies of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Carabineros.[1][3][4]
A total of 8,435 personnel participated: 4,613 from the Chilean Army, 1,008 from the Chilean Navy, 1,099 from the Chilean Air Force and 1,715 from Carabineros.[1][2][3][10][11]
Women represented a significant component of the participating formations. The Army reported 251 women, the Navy 42, the Air Force 113 and Carabineros 402.[1][3] Contemporary reports differed over the overall number of women: some reported 766 participants, while others reported 808.[2][10]
Naval and Air Force contingents
[edit]The Navy's contingent comprised 1,008 personnel in the main parade.[1][2] Naval personnel had also conducted public marches through Santiago earlier that day, including personnel from the Arturo Prat Naval Academy and Naval Polytechnic Academy.[12]
Members of the Marine Corps Amphibious Expeditionary Brigade appeared with the FN SCAR-L rifle, which had been selected to replace the unit's older HK33E rifles. Infodefensa reported that this was the weapon's first presentation by the Marine Corps at the military parade.[6]
The Air Force participated with 1,099 personnel, including 113 women.[1][3] Its aerial presentation involved approximately 70 aircraft and included the Halcones aerobatic team, F-16 and F-5 fighters, A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, KC-135 tanker aircraft, Learjet LR-35 aircraft and Bell helicopters.[13]
Army and Carabineros contingents
[edit]The Army provided the largest contingent with 4,613 personnel. Its presentation began with the 310-member Great Band of the Santiago Metropolitan Region.[1][3]
A peacekeeping formation included Chilean and Argentine personnel associated with the binational Cruz del Sur force, while personnel connected with the Chilean deployment in Haiti also participated.[1][5][11]
Historical formations included the Granaderos del Buin Historical Company, the historical 4th Company of the Chacabuco Regiment and the Infantry School's historical unit. They were followed by the approximately 300-member reservist battalion.[1][3]
The Army's foot formations included personnel from the Army NCO School, the II Motorized Division, mountain troops and special forces. The mounted component included the traditional artillery battery of the 1st Tacna Artillery Regiment and the 1st Granaderos Armoured Cavalry Regiment, including the Presidential Escort Unit.[1][4]
Several Army formations publicly displayed the IWI Galil ACE 22NC 5.56 mm assault rifle for the first time at a military ceremony. The weapon was carried by personnel including the reservist battalion and mountain and infantry units.[6]
Carabineros participated with 1,715 personnel, including 402 women, making it the second-largest institutional contingent in the parade.[1][2][3]
The final Army formations included special forces and the mounted Granaderos regiment, whose passage concluded the parade.[14]
Foreign guests
[edit]Among the foreign military guests were Major General Carlos Obando, commander of the Ecuadorian Army's Land Force, and Major General Jorge Eliecer Suárez, head of education and doctrine of the Colombian Army.[1][3][4]
Argentine military personnel also participated in the peacekeeping component of the parade alongside their Chilean counterparts.[1]
The ceremony lasted slightly more than two hours, with the final troops completing their presentation shortly after 17:15.[2][10][3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Ejército celebra sus Glorias con Gran Parada Militar" (in Spanish). Chilean Army. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Con gran participación femenina se realizó la Gran Parada Militar 2014". Emol (in Spanish). 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agencia UPI (19 September 2014). "Más de 8 mil efectivos participaron en la Gran Parada Militar 2014". BioBioChile (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 UPI Chile (19 September 2014). "FFAA y Carabineros realizan Parada Militar 2014 ante Presidenta en Parque O'Higgins". El Mostrador (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Batallón de Haití y reserva, al frente". La Tercera (in Spanish). 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Chile presenta sus nuevos fusiles de asalto en la Gran Parada militar 2014". Infodefensa (in Spanish). 26 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Presidenta Bachelet encabeza Parada Militar 2014". Página 7 (in Spanish). 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Proceso de acreditación para Gran Parada Militar 2014" (in Spanish). Chilean Army. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Presidenta da inicio a Parada Militar 2014 en la que desfilarán más de 8 mil efectivos". Emol (in Spanish). 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Presidenta Bachelet encabeza la Parada Militar 2014". 24 Horas (in Spanish). TVN. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Fotos: La Gran Parada Militar 2014 en imágenes". Meganoticias (in Spanish). 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ "Fuertes medidas de seguridad marcaron la Parada Militar 2014". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
- ↑ Miranda, Jorge (19 September 2014). "Desfile de efectivos del Ejército clausura la Parada Militar 2014". 24 Horas (in Spanish). TVN. Retrieved 19 September 2026.
