The military installation in the Ottawa Valley is in line for a name change as part of the Conservative government’s rebranding of the military.
It will be called 4th Canadian Division Support Base Petawawa, although that new name has yet to be officially announced and a date for the renaming is still undecided, say army officers.
The new name is part of the government’s push to highlight the country’s military history and link modern-day forces with those from past wars.
The government has restored the Royal prefix to Canada’s navy and air force and redesignated Land Force Command as the Canadian Army, at a cost of around $1 million.
The army received approval for the Petawawa name change in July, noted army spokesman Capt. Denny Brown.
A media report from two months ago that stated the new name for Petawawa will be Garrison Petawawa is not accurate, army officials added.
For decades the military installation was known as Camp Petawawa. It was renamed Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in 1968, when the country’s military forces were unified.
The army has also renamed its area commands, now calling them divisions and noting the links to units that fought in the First or Second World Wars. Land Force Quebec Area will be referred to as 2nd Canadian Division, Land Force Western Area as 3rd Canadian Division, Land Force Central Area as 4th Canadian Division, and Land Force Atlantic Area as 5th Canadian Division.
The ranks of non-commissioned officers will also return to the original British Army and Commonwealth designations.
Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, in New Brunswick, was recently renamed the 5th Canadian Division Support Base.
In an email, the army noted that using the term “division” restored historical names of the force and “is an essential part of the government’s commitment to honour the memories of the many brave Canadians who have sacrificed in service to Canada.”
The Conservative government’s initiative has received mixed reaction. While some veterans have hailed a return to traditional insignia and names of the First and Second World Wars, others have pointed out that a whole generation of Canadian soldiers fought and died under the more recent type of insignias and unit designations.
The various changes are in the process of being rolled out but Brown noted it is taking place gradually. The intent is to complete the changes in time to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War in 2014, he added.
Still, not all formations were keen to use the royal designation.
The logistics branch, which originated from the Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps, the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps, the Royal Canadian Postal Corps and the Canadian Army Pay Corps, recommended not changing their current name, according to a 2012 army report examining the name changes.
The Chaplain Branch, which originated from the Royal Canadian Army Chaplain Corps, also recommended not changing their current name, the documents added.
Those were obtained by the Citizen through the Access to Information law.
The report also indicates that soldiers do not associate with the previous regional designations for the commands. “Divisional nomenclature, along with patches and their associated heritage, resonate with our soldiers,” it noted. “Region and Command nomenclature does not.”
Army commander Lt.-Gen. Marquis Hainse recently announced that the army would also adopt a new primary badge, visual identifier, and tagline.
The new primary badge is based on one used prior to the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, the military noted.
It will feature crossed swords and three maple leaves.
The visual identifier, derived from the primary badge, will feature a crown atop the maple leaves and swords, as well as the words “Canadian Army” in both official languages. The new tagline for the army is “Strong. Proud. Ready.”
Original Article
Source: ottawacitizen.com
Author: DAVID PUGLIESE
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