Nijmegen

     

     Today our son will celebrate 25 years in this world and what a better way to celebrate than a walk of the world?!

   







       He made the team to Nijmegen Marches  (video) and this year will be the 16-19 of July with a stop before in France.

     Then it is on off to Holland in full gear and a ruck sack with 10 kg to hit the pavement.  There are about 200 Canadians selected each year for this March our son was one of the selected.  It is the largest walk in the world with over 40,000 people.  Each year the Canadian Soldiers make this pilgrimage to the graves of the 2300 soldiers (video) who lost their lives freeing the town of Nijmegen during World War II.

     The walk is in Holland; it is 40 km each day for four days a total of 160 km, WOW! I would have loved to do this and before MSA was fit enough to do it as well, but MSA has other plans for me.

     The training started in April with each month getting longer. By the time the precious teams are picked the soldiers have various mileages under their belts and scars from the blisters.  Soldiers train for this walk not knowing if they will make the team until just a month before departing.  To make the team they do not only take into account your physical fitness and stamina, but teamwork and strong leadership is also criteria as well.

 There are over 1 million spectators that cram into this small town to partake in this event.  Luckily for technology and me I was able to log into their main site and  

the web cameras they had set up and listen to all the excitement and watch in case I got a glimpse of my boy.  The military also had a web site with a camera called the Combat Camera where was possible to download videos.  They also have their own Facebook page with more pictures and videos and live footage, so you really feel apart of the activities. This meant I did not have to wait until our son got back to see the pictures but when he told of his experience I knew of the area he was talking about.  If it wasn’t for the MSA we would be comparing notes about distance and time, but I cannot help get excited over any physical fitness, involvement and dedication.  

                                  
      
     
     The team will met at the Canadian War Museum, stopped at Vimy Ridge and pay their respects to the 11,000 plus graves we have there and then continued on to the walk of the world, where he learned first hand why our soldiers will always have a special place in the hearts of the Dutch (video).