Thousands of U.S. Army soldiers—from Korea to Virginia—laced up their boots last week to earn a Danish military award now authorized for wear.
The march, first reported by Task & Purpose, inspired thousands of soldiers across the world to load up their rucksacks and pound the pavement. The Royal Danish Air Force March, called the Danish Flyver, requires participants to carry 22 pounds over 12.4 miles.
The march dates back to Denmark’s DANCON March, a long-distance ruck that began during a 1972 United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. According to the Army, the Danish Air Force later developed its own version of the tradition.
Unlike most Army ruck march testing standards, there is no time limit, as the event is intended to build camaraderie and boost morale. Finishers are awarded a certificate and are allowed to wear the Flyver Ribbon on their dress uniforms, according to updated Army regulations.
At Camp Humphreys, South Korea, nearly 1,300 service members joined in, including Pfc. Nain Martinez, a combat camera soldier fresh out of the basic training pipeline. The event was a friendly introduction to his new community, Martinez said.
“I’m not much of a social person. I hide behind my camera because I don’t know how to involve myself, and that’s the only way I know how,” Martinez said in a statement released by the Army last weekend. “But this time around, I had people come up to me, ask what I do and how I do it, if I enjoy it. It brought me closer to a new environment I was scared to go into.”
Stateside, around 1,300 people started walking at 1:30 a.m. in the muggy nighttime heat at Fort Stewart, an Army base in Georgia.
The event gave Sgt. 1st Class Eric Vihelmsen, a member of the 313th U.S. Army Band, a chance to connect with his family roots.
“This event is particularly special, my grandparents actually immigrated here from Denmark, and my Grandfather served in the Danish Army, so this is kind of a lineage I can continue from Denmark to the United States,” he said in an Army release, where he also lauded the chance to build community.
“I think this is a fantastic opportunity to train alongside Soldiers I’ve never met before and have different experiences than me. I can learn from them, they can learn from me. I love events like this.”
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.
