Skip to main content

Colonel Pedro Miguel do Vale Cruz replaced Colonel Joaquim Manuel de Mira Branquinho.

Today, January 10th, took place the Inauguration Ceremony of the new Commander of Infantry Regiment No. 13, in Vila Real, Colonel Pedro Miguel do Vale Cruz, who replaced Colonel Joaquim Manuel de Mira Branquinho.

The military ceremony, presided over by the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Professor Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, was attended by the Minister of National Defence, Professor João Gomes Cravinho, of the Chief of Staff of the Army (CEME) , General José Nunes da Fonseca, the Mayor of Vila Real, Dr. Rui Gonçalves dos Santos, and the President of the Municipal Assembly, Dr. João Ferreira Gaspar, among other military and civil entities.

After the military honors to the President of the Republic, Colonel Vale Cruz took over the command, namely the signing of the Command Possession Term and the reception of the National Standard to guard the Regiment, delivered by General CEME.

In his words, General CEME praised the heroic deeds of the RI13 soldiers, based in the city of Vila Real since 1883, constituting one of the most representative units of the Portuguese Army. He also highlighted the more than three thousand soldiers of the Unit who were deployed in the Balkans, Timor-Leste and Afghanistan, the responsibility of currently preparing the 1st Battalion of Mechanized Infantry on Wheels, based on the PANDUR II Vehicle, and to constitute, since January 2021, the Mobilizing Unit of the Mechanized Grouping of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force 2022, a force made available by Portugal to the NATO Response Force, until 2023. He also stressed that the mission of the Regiment extends recruitment and dissemination of military service, as well as support for the development and well-being of populations, with the action of the military of this Unit having been notorious, both in the prevention and combat of rural fires, and in the overall effort of the Army in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the Ceremony, the President of the Republic visited an exhibition of resources and capabilities, which included a PANDUR Mechanized Shooter Section equipped with the Army’s new uniform and light weapons and the PANDUR Dynamic Simulator.

In the words he addressed to the military, Professor Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa evoked the motto of this Unit – “Nem Um Passo P`rá Retaguarda” -, recalling the relevant achievements of RI13 throughout its existence and, more recently, the excellent work carried out during the pandemic. He also highlighted the military career of the outgoing Commander and the service provided to Portugal by the new Commander over several years in the Presidency of the Republic.

Finally, the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces visited the RI13 Visitable Collection and signed the Unit’s Book of Honor.

 

Source: http://www.exercito.pt/pt/informacao-publica/noticias/3546

Leave a Reply

×