The City of Prince George honoured the Rocky Mountain Rangers, a Canadian Forces unit, with its highest award, the Freedom of the City, Saturday morning during a ceremony held by the cenotaph at City Hall.
The Rocky Mountain Rangers, Company "B", marched through Prince George to the lawn at City Hall for the ceremony.
Once the proclamation was made, Mayor Lyn Hall inspected the troops.
Prior to 1970 the Rocky Mountain Rangers "A" Company was based in Prince George and then was moved to Kamloops. "B" Company returned to Prince George in 2011 and is now more than 60 members strong.
"On behalf of all the men and women in the Canadian Army, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the City of Prince George and its citizens for bestowing the Freedom of the City upon the Rocky Mountain Rangers," Lt. Gen. Paul Wynnyk, Commander of the Canadian Army, said during the ceremony Saturday. "The Canadian Army is grateful for the support we've always received from Mayor Hall and other elected representatives and all three levels of government as well as from the business community and the citizens of Prince George."
Lt. Gen. Wynnyk went on to say he wanted to remember Pte. Kirby Tott, a member of the Rocky Mountain Rangers, who lost his life in July 2015 during routine military training with the third Canadian division training centre detachment at Canadian Forces base Shilo in Manitoba.
Lt. Gen. Wynnyk talked about the role the Rocky Mountain Rangers took on during the cariboo wildfires last summer and that to serve the country is of the utmost importance.
Mayor Lyn Hall said a few words of appreciation for the Rocky Mountain Rangers.
"It's important to know that city council unanimously voted to grant the Freedom of the City to the Rocky Mountain Rangers regiment earlier this year," Hall said. "Granting of this distinction will further recognize the Rangers' history, presence in our community and contributions made both locally and nationally. The tradition of granting Freedom of the City to a military unit goes back more than three centuries. The Freedom of the City means, in a physical sense, the granting of the privilege for all time for a specific military unit to march through the city with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed. It is a most distinguished honour and this distinction recognizes the honourable record of the military unit and demonstrates the affection, esteem and the trust our community has for the Rocky Mountain Rangers regiment."
Hall continued by thanking the rangers for their service and dedication to Canada and to the community of Prince George.
After the ceremony the Rocky Mountain Rangers marched to the Civic Centre for a formal regimental ball.
Shirley Bond, MLA, who attended the ceremony, said she was very grateful the Rocky Mountain Rangers "B" Company were brought back to Prince George.
"Today is a moving day, it's a day full of ceremony, and it reminds us of the importance of the people who choose to serve Canada and so for me, when you think about the escalating tensions around the world, it's really important for us to remember and to be grateful, so today we celebrate having the Rocky Mountain Rangers home in Prince George."
