37th Infantry Presidential Guard Battalion
37th Infantry Battalion "Guardia Presidencial" (Presidential Guard) | |
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Batallón de Infantería #37 "Guardia Presidencial" (BIGUP) | |
![]() A Soldier of the Caldas Engineers Company of the Presidential Guard. | |
Active | 16 August 1928 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Type | Honor Guard Infantry Cavalry |
Role | Ceremonial Guard Public Security |
Part of | 5th Division (Colombia) |
Garrison/HQ | Bogotá |
Nickname(s) |
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Motto(s) | “En Defensa del Honor Hasta la Muerte” (“In defense of honor till death”) |
March | Himno del Batallón Guardia Presidencial (Hymn of the Presidential Guard Battalion) |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Lt. Col. Wilson German Hernandez Viveros[1] |
Insignia | |
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia | ![]() |
The 37th Infantry Battalion "Guardia Presidencial" (Presidential Guard Battalion) (
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Palacio_de_nari%C3%B1o.jpg/220px-Palacio_de_nari%C3%B1o.jpg)
In June 1814, the President of the Second Republic of Venezuela Simón Bolívar, inspected the Guard of Honor upon his return to Santa Fe. The guard, which was called the Guardia de Honor del libertador Simón Bolívar (Honor Guard of the Liberator Simón Bolívar), provided the basis for the 37th Infantry Presidential Guard Battalion.
On December 7, 1927, President
Functions
The battalion provides security to the Presidency of Colombia by meeting the requirements imposed on it by the Secretary of Security of the
Changing of the Guard
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/20230628_D%C3%ADa_LGBTIQ%2B_Casa_de_Nari%C3%B1o-Yeremi_Ruiz-Emerson_Rubio2.jpg/186px-20230628_D%C3%ADa_LGBTIQ%2B_Casa_de_Nari%C3%B1o-Yeremi_Ruiz-Emerson_Rubio2.jpg)
The Changing of the Guard (Cambio de guardia) is a 105 year old traditional military parade of the battalion that takes place on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 4 PM (COT) in the central square (Plaza de Armas) of the Casa de Nariño. It marks the changing of the security command at the palace. The changing of the guard involves the Fergusson Company and the battalion's military band and corps of drums.[4]
Composition
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Colombian_military_band_at_Monument_of_Fallen_Soldiers_and_Police_in_Bogota_3-5-09.jpg/220px-Colombian_military_band_at_Monument_of_Fallen_Soldiers_and_Police_in_Bogota_3-5-09.jpg)
The battalion is part of 13th Infantry Brigade of the Army's 5th Division, and is composed of 1,400 people: 29 officers, 116 NCOs, 1,189 soldiers and 66 civilian personnel. Today the Presidential Guard Battalion is currently subdivided into several companies:
- Battalion HHC
- Córdoba Infantry Company
- Rondon Cavalry Squadron
- Ricaurte Artillery Battery
- Caldas Engineering Company (named after Francisco José de Caldas)
- Fergusson Company
- BIGUP Battalion Presidential War Band and Corps of Drums[5][6]
- Foot Guards Company of the Presidential Military Household
- Santander Training Company
- Nariño Training Company
- 3rd AFEUR Company (Special Forces)
Their headquarters are located in front of the building of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit on the south side of the Casa de Nariño. Their motto is “En Defensa del Honor Hasta la Muerte” (“In defense of honor till death”).
Fergusson Company
Fergusson is the protocol company in charge of the weapons ceremonies (infantry). From this comes the military band, the Street of Honor (CH) and the exemplary Guard of Honor of the President (GH) that is in charge of the most demanding military ceremonies demanded by the country: honors, parades, toilets, state visits, decorations, funeral honors and its flagship ceremony: the guard relay of the Presidential Palace. This takes place on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. at the Casa de Nariño
Companies Córdoba (Infantry), Rondón (Cavalry), Ricaurte (Artillery), Caldas (Engineering)
These four companies are in charge of the security of the palace, the president and his family.
List of Commanders
- Lieutenant Colonel Luis Fernando Londoño Villamizar (2008 - 2013)
- Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Jose Dangond (2013 - 2015)
Gallery
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The entire assembled Fergusson Company outside of their barracks.
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The changing of the guard at the Casa de Nariño.
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A drill unit in the forecourt of the palace.
See also
References
- ^ "Página No Encontrada". Ejército Nacional de Colombia. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ "Página No Encontrada". Ejército Nacional de Colombia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ a b "::SP NOTICIAS - Presidencia de la República de Colombia::". web.presidencia.gov.co. Archived from the original on 17 December 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "The Narino Palace guard".
- ^ "Reglamento de protocolo y ceremonial militar: Resolución no. 0064 de 1961" (in Spanish). 1961.
- ISBN 9789588109190.