An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 19 ting an early night in preparation for the days ahead With alarms set for 3am the camp awoke eager to get underway after months of training. We were checked out and crossed our allotted start line at 4.30am and waved goodbye to the camp which we wouldn't see for another nine hours, and 43.3km, later. Our march took us across the river Waal, north of Nijme- gen, through the town of Elst and back through Nijmegen city centre. There was fantastic support throughout the route, with rest stops being run by Dutch military logistics personnel, who spend the week on the ground, staying one step ahead of the marching teams; moving into a rest stop the night before and having everything set up before the teams start arriving the following day. On Wednesday we noticed an emerging trend of being greeted with 'Buongiorno Italia!' and cheers of 'Ciao!' from sup- porters unfamiliar with the Irish flag. Day two was a 'short day' in Vierdaagse terms, with a total distance of 38km taking us through the town of Wijchen and getting us back to camp an hour earlier than the day before. This time was put to good use with visits to the medical tent for preventative taping for blisters and time to refit after two days of marching. Day three of the march presented a new challenge, known as the day of the 7 Hills, which took our team south of Nijmegen to the town of Groesbeek. The 7 Hills in themselves wouldn't normally be considered a challenge but kicking in as they did during the second half of the day's march, having covered ap- prox 100km over the previous days, the hills definitely made their presence known. However, the fantastic reception from the crowds lining the route kept everyone going right to the fin- ish line in Camp Heumensoord. While our final day's march was welcome, it presented our biggest challenge to date. As the week moves on, the distances get longer, the hours of sleep get shorter and fatigue builds up. Many teams around us had lost teammates to injury and some teams got noticeably smaller or withdrew altogether. Our goal was simple. A steady pace and finish as we started - together as a team. We experienced highs and lows as we progressed south again from Nijmegen through the towns of Grave, Beers and Mook. Our team grew at various points during the day as individual marchers fell-in at the end to tick off a few kilometres with the team. (Teams generally have a slightly faster pace than individuals and hitching a lift with a passing team is a great way for individual marchers to pick up the pace.) Our march continued, with crowds getting ever larger as we approached the last 10km into Nijmegen. As military partici- pants we finished just outside of town where we were present- ed with our Vierdaagskruis (Cross of the Four Days) and had a short time to rest, drop the weight in our backpacks and prepare for a final 5km into the city centre. Losing the weight was a godsend as we formed up for the final march, and made our way to the city centre. Words can't describe those last few kilometres, with the route thronged with cheering crowds urging the teams past the final review stand where we were greeted by Ireland's ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr Kevin Kelly, who then joined us on the final kilometre to the finish line. The Vierdaagse was a fantastic experience for all involved and brought our Defence Forces values to life in so many ways, such as respect for our fellow teams from around the world, loyalty among our team, selflessness to put the team first and fore- most, and physical courage to drive on through pain and tired- ness to become the first Irish Defence Forces team to complete the gruelling four days. Most importantly, everyone finished. Our journey to the finish line had started back in 2018, and would not have been possible without the leadership, permis- sion and support of ACOS Brigadier General Peter O'Halloran, Col Ger Buckley (D Reserve), Lt Col Flannery (OC 1 Cn Cois), Lt Col Oliver Dwyer (OC 6 Inf Bn), Lt Col Noel Maher (OC 1 BAR), and Comdt John Tynan (OC 1 ACS), and their teams in Custume Barracks, Collins Barracks, Dún Uí Mhaoilíosa, and Plunkett Bks, who facilitated the team with rations, accommodation and transport on our combined training weekends throughout the year. A special thanks goes to Comdt (AR) Ian Stewart, 1 ACS, and team liaison officer, who ensured all aspects of the march went like clockwork for our time in the Netherlands. The group pose for a photo with the Irish Ambassador to the Netherlands Mr Kevin Kelly The Irish 'Four Days Marches' Team 2019-09-16 Cpl Diarmuid Connon receiving treatment in between marches

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