Battle-Hardened 4 GR Re-designated & Revived

The customary flag-awarding ceremony of the re-designated 4th Gajaba Regiment (GR) which was converted to a Mechanized Infantry Regiment (MIR) in 2007, took place on Friday (20 January) at the Gajaba Regiment Regimental Headquarters in Saliyapura headed by Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Commander of the Army and Colonel of the Regiment, GR as the Chief Guest. According, the 24th Battalion of the Gajaba Regiment was redesigned as the 4th Battalion of the Gajaba Regiment.

The 4 Gajaba Regiment, raised on 15 August 1987 rendered a landmark service to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the motherland. The battalion was inducted to be the 3 Mechanized Infantry Regiment on 04 February 2007 due to operational requirements after formally absorbing it from the Battalion list of the GR. The re-designation of the 4 GR after nearly 23 years was authorized by the Commander of the Army in a special Army Order having suppressed the 24 GR, the junior most regular battalion of the GR.

The Army Chief who also served as the Adjutant in the 4 GR battalion during 1993-1994 added more significance to Friday's induction of the re-designation by awarding the customary flag symbolically to the Commanding Officer of the re-designated 4 GR.

The day's ceremony got to a start after the Chief Guest was welcomed by Colonel K.R Kalupahana RSP USP, Deputy Centre Commandant, GR at the entrance to the Regimental Headquarters upon arrival before he was invited to review the Guard Turnout, presented by 4 GR troops. As has been the tradition, the Commander at first paid floral tributes to the statue of late Major General Vijaya Wimalaratne, Founding Father of the Gajaba Regiment and saluted his memory.

Next, the Commander of the Army was ushered to the saluting dais by Brigadier H.T.W Vidyananda RWP RSP USP, Centre Commandant, GR to receive the salute of the parade, commanded by Major G.S Herath. Upon review of the parade, Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage handed over the 4 GR flag symbolically to its Commanding Officer, Major W.M.A Udaya Kumara reviving its past glory, honour and pride of the 4 GR battalion.

As the day's sequence of events reached its culmination, the Army Chief addressed troops gathered in the parade ground and expressed his best wishes for the forward-march of the battalion. The visiting Army Chief was also invited to pose for a group photograph before he planted an ironwood (Naa) sapling in the premises as a symbol of memory of the special event.

Major General C.D Ranasinghe RWP RSP, Commander Security Forces-Wanni, Major General K.P.S.A Fernando RWP RSP ndu, General Officer Commanding, 52 Infantry Division, Major General M.G.W.W.W.M.C.B Wickramasinghe RWP RSP ndu psc, Adjutant General of the Sri Lanka Army, Senior retired Officers of 4 GR, Senior Officers, Officers and Other Ranks participated in the event.