12 RBC EXERCISES ITS FREEDOM OF THE CITY
LCol Stéphan LeBlanc, Commanding Officer of 12 RBC T R, identifies himself to Trois-Rivières police chief Françis Gobeil.
By Slt Ivan Suaza
12e Régiment blindé du Canada Trois-Rivières (12 RBC T R) marked its 140th anniversary on Saturday, September 24, by availing itself of its Freedom of the City.
The parade began with cased colours and sheathed bayonets at the General Jean-Victor Allard Armoury, with about one hundred men and women marching in time to the 62nd Field Artillery Regiment (62 FAR) Band as they made their way to the city hall.
The members stopped in front of the barrier that had been set up in the middle of Royal Boulevard. Francis Gobeil, the police chief of Trois-Rivières, then asked Lieutenant-Colonel Stéphan LeBlanc, Commanding Officer of 12 RBC T R, to identify himself.
Dignitaries present for the ceremony were Deputy Mayor Fernand Lajoie and a number of guests, including Colonel Guy Maillette, Commandant of Royal Military College Saint-Jean; Lieutenant-Colonel Stéphane Boivin, Commanding Officer of 12 RBC Valcartier; and Pierre Ayotte, Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 12 RBC T R.
“Granting the Freedom of the City to a military unit is a tradition that dates back more than 300 years,” said LCol LeBlanc. The commanding officer reminded those present of 12 RBC T R’s unwavering commitment to the community of Trois-Rivières.
Freedom of the City was granted to the regiment on June 10, 1978. It was exercised in 1996 during the unit’s 125th anniversary and again in 2006 to mark the centenary of the General Jean-Victor Allard Armoury.
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