A ceremonial parade and a stupendous motorcycle stunt show were held at the Army Service Corps Centre and College in Bengaluru Thursday on the occasion of the 262nd Corps Day and 11th ASC reunion celebrations.
The daredevil stunts by ‘Tornadoes’, the motorcycle display team of the Army Service Corps (ASC), were performed amidst applause from the gathering.
“To showcase the capability of our Armed Forces and to offer a glimpse into our military might of the nation to the young aspiring minds and to motivate them to join the defence forces, a military display was organised today,” a statement from the Ministry of Defence said.
The celebrations will continue on Friday with the Army equestrian show, trick riding, microlight display and para-motor display.
Explaining the rich history of the motorcycle display team, the defence authorities recalled the days when ‘Tornadoes’ performed for the first time in 1967 under the leadership of Major F S Yadav.
“The team was initially christened ‘Thunderbolts’. The name ‘Tornadoes’ as it is called today, came into being in 1982 at ASC Centre (North), Gaya under the stewardship of Col C N Rao, VSM. Thereafter, ASC Centre & College, Bangalore, has been the home base for the team. In its 55 years of history the team has performed across the length and breadth of the country with over 1,000 displays and has been part of major national and international events,” the statement said.
To commemorate the rich history of the Corps and pay homage to the soldiers, the ‘Tornadoes’ in October undertook a 2,600-km-long motorcycle expedition in the North-East. The expedition started from Tezpur in Assam on October 1, passed through Tenga Valley, Bomdila, Sela pass, Tawang, Fwd Posts of Tawang, Kalaktang, Guwahati, Shillong, Kombrian, Imphal, Dinjan and culminated at Gajraj War Memorial, Tezpur, on October 17 in 17 days.
The ‘Tornadoes’ has the honour of holding 32 world records certified by the Guinness Book of World Records, Limca Book of Records, Unique World Records, Asia Book of Records, International Book of Records and India Book of Records.
The Army Service Corps mainly comprises three main branches – supply, petroleum and transport. The basic function of ASC is the provisioning and supply of rations and all grades of petroleum products to the Army, Air Force, Navy and certain Paramilitary forces during peacetime as well as war. “The range of responsibility of the ASC includes procurement, inspection, quality control, storage and distribution of food articles and petroleum products,” the defence ministry said.
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