Maj. William Watts and Sgt. 1st Class Kerstan Harrivel lead the U.S. Army Europe and Africa team near Overasselt, Netherlands during the Four Days March Nijmegen on July 19, 2024. The team completed about 100 miles of marching over four days. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
NIJMEGEN, Netherlands — Hundreds of U.S. military personnel joined with service members from 34 different nations to complete the 106th edition of the world’s largest multi-day marching event on Friday.
The 560 U.S. entrants were among more than 6,400 service members and 40,000 others who marched approximately 100 miles in and around the Dutch city of Nijmegen during the Vierdaagse, or Four Days Marches.
One group of service members raised eyebrows from day one.
Seven guardians from the 53rd Space Operations Squadron in Landstuhl, Germany, gave Space Force their first team in an event that originated with about 300 Dutch soldiers looking to build stamina in 1909.
The guardians enlisted the help of soldiers from Kaiserslautern and Wiesbaden to reach the 12-member team requirement.
“Every day has been ‘Space Force?’ and lots of ‘Wait, that’s real?’ so the team has been fielding questions multiple times a day,” Senior Master Sgt. Robert Baer said Thursday. “It’s always great to get the Space Force out there in front of people, because it’s still so new.”
U.S. Space Force Senior Master Sgt. Robert Baer carries a Space Force flag while marching down the Via Gladiola during the last day of the Four Days Marches in Nijmegen, Netherlands, on July 19, 2024. Baer was a member of the first Space Force team to register for the international military march. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
U.S. airmen march past the reviewing stand at Camp Heumensoord, south of Nijmegen, Netherlands on July 19, 2024, as they begin a roughly 25-mile journey to complete the Four Days March. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
The Americans said camaraderie between the international militaries and the hospitality of the Dutch people were the things that stuck out the most over the four days.
“Being with all the partner nations and seeing how they do things while being able to exchange patches and shirts with all of them ... it’s great,” U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Edward French, who is stationed in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, said around the halfway point of Friday’s march.
“The city, the participation that you see from all the kids and the high fives, you can’t beat it,” French added.
Army 1st Lt. Jacob Roderick of 7th Army Training Command greets children in Gassel, Netherlands, on July 19, 2024, during the final day of the 100-mile Four Days March Nijmegen. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
In the town of Gassel, a band set up and residents lined the streets before 8 a.m. to hand out snacks and greet marchers as they passed through.
“There’s been a couple of towns where we’re marching next to Dutch soldiers and they’re cheering for the Americans. They really care for us just as much as we care for them,” Sgt. 1st Class Kerstan Harrivel said Friday at a military rest area outside of Overasselt.
Harrivel, who participated for the third time, was the U.S. Army Europe and Africa team captain. She said her team prepared by logging over 1,000 miles since January and completing other long-distance marches across Europe.
A young girl high-fives U.S. soldiers as they march through Gassel, Netherlands, on July 19, 2024. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Many marchers said temperatures and humidity posed an obstacle this year. Though not as hot as 2006, which saw the event canceled after the first day, the weather caused officials to modify Friday’s final march.
Civilian routes were reduced a little over 6 miles and military marchers could complete their roughly 25 miles without a 22-pound rucksack.
Carrying extra weight aside, some of the military participants said the march takes a big toll on the body.
Space Force Senior Master Sgt. Robert Baer presents fellow guardian Sgt. Clara Myers with the Vierdaagsekruis, or Four Days Cross medal, on July 19, 2024, in the Dutch city of Nijmegen. Baer and Myers were part of the first U.S. Space Force team to participate in the 100-mile Four Days March. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
“A lot of military members come in with the notion that ‘I’m in the military, so I’m in good physical condition,’” U.S. liaison support officer Marine Lt. Col. Matthew Berthinet said Thursday. “It’s really an event that taxes different parts of your body than you’re used to working out.”
Berthinet, who marched in 2022, added that preparing for the event is a time commitment with no shortcuts when it comes to putting lots of miles on your body and feet.
Not everyone on the Space Force team made it to the Charlemagne rest area on Friday to earn their Vierdaagsekruis, or Four Days Cross medal. A few marchers were dropped for medical disqualifications through the first three days.
Army Cpt. Matthew Hagy of the 2nd Signal Brigade in Wiesbaden, Germany, waves to onlookers as he marches along the Via Gladiola at the end of the Four Days March Nijmegen on July 19, 2024. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
But Baer said this shouldn’t be the last time people see the Space Force in Nijmegen.
“There are enough guardians out there, so there’s no reason we can’t put together a recurring Space Force team,” Baer said after arriving at Charlemagne on Friday. “We’re gonna make it a thing.”
After a short rest, marchers wearing their newly earned medals walked the final 3-mile stretch down Sint Annasstraat, known as the Via Gladiola, into downtown Nijmegen.
U.S. military teams line up around 3 a.m. to start the final day of the Four Days March at Camp Heumensoord, south of Nijmegen, Netherlands, on July 19, 2024. Some 540 U.S. military personnel were among 6,426 international military members from 34 nations that participated in the event. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
The combination of parade and party saw Baer and company cheered on by thousands of spectators that showered them with high fives, hugs and cold drinks, as chants of “USA, USA, USA” rang out.
Next year’s march will occur July 15-18, as Nijmegen celebrates hosting the event for the 100th time.
The morale patch of the U.S. armed forces delegation for the 2024 Four Days Marches Nijmegen. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
