a bold visionary and a technocratic elitist whose plans to merge the three services into one were in tune with the zeitgeist. An ambitious man, Hellyer had championed unification to present himself as an innovative leader as he openly aspired to be prime minister one day, and in general the media took his side against his military critics. In a 1966 editorial, the Winnipeg Free Press stated that Hellyer had "earned the nation's gratitude and its continued support" while in the same year the Vancouver Sun in an editorial declared that "young Mr. Hellyer seems to be quietly pulling off what may in time be recorded as this government's greatest achievement". In the face of much opposition from the Conservative MPs and with the use of closure, Parliament passed Hellyer's Canadian Forces Reorganization Bill on 25 April 1967. On 1 July 1967 to mark the Centennial of Canadian confederation, a huge Centennial tattoo was held in Ottawa with all three services marching together to celebrate both Centennial and "their vanishing traditions" with many participating noting that this was the end of their services. The Army was integrated with the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force on February 1, 1968, under the policy of Unification. The newly formed Canadian Forces was the first combined military force in the modern world. The Army became known as Force Mobile Command. Helicopter operations, briefly instituted under Army purview in the early 1960s, transferred to Air Command. Most of the pre-unification corps that had been created in the early 20th century were disbanded; they were merged with counterparts in the Navy and Air Force to form the personnel branches of the CF. The move toward unification, as well as other budget and cost-cutting moves during the 1980s and 1990s were vehemently opposed by many and is sometimes regarded as a fault in the Canadian Forces. The majority of veterans and those serving at the time objected to this initiative; with many, including senior officers, leaving the military altogether. One of the most controversial aspects of unification was Hellyer's decision to abolish the traditional British style uniforms of the Canadian Army together with those of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force to impose a common green American style uniform on the entire Canadian Forces. As part of his drive to "Canadianize" the military, Hellyer also abolished the traditional British