CORNWALL, Ontario – Members of the SD&G Highlanders have left for the Netherlands to take part in the 102nd annual International Four Days Marches Nijmegen.
The march takes place from July 17 to the 20 and will cover 160km of city streets and countryside around the Dutch city of Nijmegen. Much of the land across which the Highlanders will be marching is the same land on which Canadian soldiers fought and died during World War II.
This year also marks the 66th anniversary of the first participation of the Canadian Forces in the march which took place in 1952.
“For 66 years, the Canadian Armed Forces have participated in the International Four Days Marches Nijmegen, honouring the Canadian troops who sacrificed their lives during the First World War and Second World War, for the freedom and security of Europe and consequently, of the world,” said Lieutenant-General Charles Lamarre, Commander Military Personnel Command. “This year’s team continues this tradition with pride and a great feeling of honour in commemorating our veterans.”
In total, the Canadian Forces are sending 200 personnel to take part in this year’s march, and of that 200, 14 will be from the SD&G Highlanders. the Highlanders were selected to take part in the march this year to commemorate their 150th anniversary as a unit.
The Canadian Forces requires participating members to train rigorously before being selected for the march. Each participating SD&G Highlander will have completed at least 500km of training marches. The Nijmegen March takes place across all four days, with each team marching 40km per day.
On their third day of the march, the Highlanders will be able to stop at the military cemetery of Groesbeek, in which is buried 2,500 Canadian war dead from World War II.
The Highlanders team is composed of Captain Brad Nuttley, Warrant Officer Kyle Bergeron, Sergeant Marty Sabourin, Master Corporal Jenna Lafave, Master Corporal Steven Latreille, Corporal Joel Godard, Corporal Jazzmin Major, Corporal Jason Basaur, Corporal Nick Konynenburg, Corporal Nick Leblanc and Corporal Frank Hodgson.
The Nijmegen March began in 1909 as a Dutch military training exercise, today, 50,000 people every year take part. The march is mostly composed of civillians, but militaries from around the world send teams to participate.
