Boots on the ground..again...

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Boots on the ground again..but this time the Dutch will be feeding OUR troops...
Pickled herring...Heinigen...all the goodies..
Bet you Jiff would like to be there for the herring..


Jul 11, 2008 12:04 ET
DND: Boots on the Ground in Nijmegen, Netherlands

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 11, 2008) - A contingent of about 205 Canadian Forces (CF) personnel leaves Canada today for Nijmegen, Netherlands, to take part in the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen, a prestigious Dutch marching event Canadian military contingents have participated in every year since 1952. During the four days of the Nijmegen Marches, which take place this year from July 15 to July 18, all military participants must walk 160 km while carrying a standard military rucksack weighing at least 10 kg.

"The Nijmegen Marches is an excellent fitness activity and endurance test that builds morale and develops core military values, including leadership and teamwork, in all participants," said Brigadier-General Raymond Romses, the commanding officer of the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff in London, U.K., and the senior member of the CF contingent. "Our participation to the Nijmegen marches highlights Canada's close connection to the Netherlands. Even now soldiers from both nations are working to stabilize Afghanistan," he added.

The CF contingent includes Regular Force members and Reservists of all ranks and occupations from across the country. Canadian soldiers, sailors and air personnel consider it an honour and privilege to be selected for the gruelling four-day event. During the months of training required for selection, candidates build physical and mental stamina by marching, on average, 700 km with their rucksacks.

CF participation in the Nijmegen Marches includes tributes to Canadians who lost their lives in battle during the First and Second World Wars. On the way to Nijmegen, the CF contingent will visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France to hold a memorial ceremony in cooperation with the Royal Canadian Legion. During their stay in the Nijmegen area, the CF marchers will visit Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, where more than 2,300 Canadian soldiers and airmen who died to liberate the Netherlands in 1944 and 1945 are buried.

The Nijmegen Marches is also the world's largest walking event, attracting thousands of civilian participants as well as hundreds of other military teams. More than 44,000 marchers from at least 50 nations are expected to participate this year.

Notes for news and assignment editors:

Interviews can be arranged between Canadian media outlets and Canadian Forces personnel who are in Nijmegen by contacting the Public Affairs Officer on location, Captain VG Winter, at 613-697-2963.

As still imagery of the Nijmegen Marches is obtained, it will be posted on the Combat Camera website at www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca

For further information, visit the official website of the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen at http://www.4daagse.nl/index.asp?taal...nteractivepage

For information on Canadian Forces participation in the Nijmegen Marches, visit http://www.forces.gc.ca

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

...all military participants must walk 160 km while carrying a standard military rucksack weighing at least 10 kg...

Poor babies can't lift anything heavier???!!! Sheesh, give them to me for a winter ex on snowshoes towing a sled uphill with everything they need for a week...

[dougiebarder]

That must be one big hill-or you Canadians walk really slowly

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally Posted by dougiebarder

That must be one big hill-or you Canadians walk really slowly

Our average infanteer can show your SAS-types a thing or two when it comes to operating in -40 temps, so piss off and go find the mines, there's a good boy!!

[Yeo.NT]

Always love rucking 70lbs of kit over show drifts through the bush with snowshoes on so much fun. I missed out going this year, my unit didn't have enough interest this year. Maybe next year

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Jul 12, 2008 12:04 ET
Media Advisory: Nijmegen Marchers Visit Vimy Memorial

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 12, 2008) - The contingent of some 205 Canadian Forces (CF) personnel participating in this year's Nijmegen Marches will visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France on July 13 to hold a memorial ceremony with support from the Royal Canadian Legion.

On April 9, 1917, the Canadian Corps accomplished a task the French and British armies had tried and failed to do since 1914: it broke through the heavy German defences to capture and secure Vimy Ridge. In 1922, France designated about one square kilometre of the battlefield as Canadian territory as a free gift in perpetuity to the Canadian people. The Vimy Monument was built on this site and inscribed the names of the 11,285 Canadian soldiers who died in France but have no known graves. The monument was recently refurbished and, on the 90th anniversary of the battle it was rededicated by Queen Elizabeth II.

As well as the Vimy Monument, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial includes a small museum, an area of preserved trenches and tunnels, and cemeteries containing the graves of soldiers killed in the battle. In 1997, the Vimy Memorial was designated as a National Historic Site, one of only two outside Canada.

The Internationale Vierdaagse Afstandsmarsen Nijmegen (International Four Days' Marches Nijmegen, or Nijmegen Marches) is a prestigious Dutch marching event in which Canadian military contingents have participated every year since 1952. This year, from July 15 to July 18 inclusive, a contingent of about 205 CF members will take part in the Nijmegen Marches with more than 44,000 people, both civilian and military, from over 50 nations. The marchers' itinerary usually includes a visit to Vimy on the way to Nijmegen.

Notes to news and assignment editors:

Canadian media outlets can arrange interviews with Canadian Forces personnel in Nijmegen by contacting the Public Affairs Officer on location, Capt. VG Winter, at: 613-697-2963.

As still imagery of the Vimy ceremony is obtained it will be posted on the Combat Camera website at: www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca

For information on Canadian Forces participation in the Nijmegen Marches, visit: http://www.forces.gc.ca

Additional information on the Vimy Memorial can be found on Veterans Affairs Canada website at: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/s...&CFID=1937544& CFTOKEN=88837832

For further information, visit the official website of the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen at: http://www.4daagse.nl/index.asp?taal...nteractivepage