3 Royal Canadian Regiment

3rd Battalion
Cypher of The Royal Canadian Regiment
Active	9 December 1950 – 21 July 1954 6 July 1970 – present
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Army
Type	Regular Force
Role	Light role
Size	One battalion
Part of	Royal Canadian Infantry Corps
Garrison/HQ	Foulkes Barracks – Petawawa 3rd Battalion- Petawawa
Motto(s)	Pro Patria (For Country)
Mascot(s)	Stone statuette named Soldier of the Queen
Commanders
Officer	LCol P. NESS
Deputy Commanding Officer	Maj BL SAK, CD
Regimental Sergeant Major	CWO Keith Olstad, CD
Insignia
Crown	Gold

3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment is a regular force light infantry battalion of the Canadian Forces. As of 2011, 3 RCR was designated Canada's first airmobile battalion. The unit has served Canada well throughout its history, and 3 RCR's most notable service occurred in 2003–2004, when it was the initial Canadian Forces unit to serve as part of ISAF, deploying to Kabul in August 2003. After seeing the unit in the reconstitution phase of the army training operations framework cycle, it was prepared once again for deployment. It stood up as the core of "Task Force 3–08 Battle Group" (TF 3–08 BG) in January 2008 and assumed duties in Kandahar in September of that year. 3 RCR redeployed to Canada in April and May 2009. Most recently, "O" Company deployed as a component of the Task Force 1-10 BG.

The Royal Canadian Regiment was formed 21 December 1883, under the name of the "Infantry School Corps". The regiment was known by a variety of names until "The Royal Canadian Regiment" became official. There have been three occasions when there have been more than one battalion of The RCR. First was during the time of the Boer War, when 2nd (Special Service) Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry constituted Canada's initial involvement in that war. 3rd (Special Service) battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry occupied Wellington Barracks in Halifax, NS and conducted garrison duties there. The second was at the tail end of the Second World War when a second battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment was formed for duty in Japan. Finally, during the Korean War, 3rd battalion was formed on 10 January 1951. 3 RCR served in Korea from March 1953 until March 1954.

During a reorganisation of the Canadian Army in the early 1950s, 3 RCR ceased being on the regular force order of battle. 3 RCR was the designation of the militia battalion of The RCR.

3 RCR was once again a regular force battalion when it assumed duties as a mechanised infantry battalion of 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, taking over 3 (Mechanized) Commando of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. It served in Baden, Germany, until 1984, when it was replaced by 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. It then was based in Winnipeg as part of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. It then returned to Germany in 1988, where it stayed until 1993, following the end of the Cold War. It was then designated a so-called "10/90" battalion and was based at CFB Borden. (These battalions were composed of 10% regular force members, and 90% reserve force members.)