Chile commemorates
independence with
military parade
Chile commemorated the
anniversary of its
independence on
Wednesday with a
military parade around
the oval of O'Higgins
Park, led by the
nation's president
Michelle Bachelet.
The parade began with a
minute's silence
commemorating Cristian
Vera, a corporal in the
nation's armed police
who died during a Sept.
11 military operation.
The parade was made up
of 6,965 officers: 3,338
from the Army, 1,230
from the Air Force,
1,200 from the Navy and
1,196 from the Armed
Police. It also formally
bade farewell to the
Mirage Panther aircraft
and debuted F-16s.
Earlier in the day there
was a separate parade by
cadets from the Arturo
Prat Navy Air School,
which included 35 women
for the first time,
among 478 of their male
colleagues.
Late on Tuesday, the
heads of Chile's Armed
Forces had laid wreaths
in Ciudadania Place in a
traditional ceremony
honoring both Chile's
independence and the
achievements of its
military forces.
Chile's movement for
independence from Spain
began on Sept. 18,1810,
but its Independence Day
is formally celebrated
on Sept. 19.
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