European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 28, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Nil Gen the blisters disappear the Pride remains by Mark wonders staff writer. ". T he blisters Are Only How beginning to heal. The feet Are slowly returning to their Normal size and the aches and pains that come with a four Day 100-mile Jaunt through the dutch Countryside fave subsided enough to put into better focus the experience called the 77th International Nijm Egen four Day marches. My original reason for returning to this torture chamber was because of my failure to qualify for the medal last year. At the time i thought i chickened out. Just because my skin was ripped from the soles of my feet and toes i reasoned was no excuse to quit. This year was going to be different. Armed with the lessons Learned from the previous year i set off determined to succeed. After arriving at Camp Heumen Soord in Nijm Egen and exchanging greetings with friends i unpacked readied my equipment and made plans to visit the dutch medical tent. The Stop at the medical tent is essential for that s where marchers can get their feet taped against the blisters that Are sure to come. It does not work. By the end of the first Day s March my feet Are sore and the blisters appear. I struggle in and turn in my control card Only five minutes before the 5 . Deadline. Then the dutch medical team spends two hours on my feet carefully removing the tape Job servicing the blisters and re taping my Barking dogs for wednesday s second round. The first thing marchers do in the morning after a Day of walking is Check their feet. The crucial Check comes when they hop Well not exactly hop out of the sack and. Place their feet on the wooden floor of the tent. If they can stand upright with Little or no pain they drive on. If not they still drive on. They say the second Day is the hardest. Your body has been introduced to the procedure of getting up at 3 30 . After being kept awake until a Little after Midnight by revellers prematurely celebrating their Success to prepare for the Day s March the longest of the four stretches after the foot test is passed out comes the Petroleum Jelly to be spread Between the toes to prevent rubbing and a Liberal amount of foot powder for the feet and inside both the socks and boots. Next come the socks tightly slipped on to prevent wrinkles in the boots that could irritate already tender feet. The entire process takes believe it or not 10 minutes. But Don t hurry it May be the most important thing you do All Day. The second Day s route follows a Westerly path to a town called Witchen and then Northeast to Nijm Egen proper around the 30rkilometer mar where the town gathers to Greet the marchers. The walkers feel drained but the crowd urges them on. Children offer water fruit and sometimes Flowers to help the marchers press on. A woman lunges from the crowd and embraces me which energizes me for two Kilometres or so. The toughest stretch of the marches seems to be the route from downtown Nijm Egen South to the Camp. Although it s less than 10 Kilometres it s one Long stretch and once you reach the Camp s front Gate it seems As if it takes an eternity to reach the final checkpoint. The time is 3 30 ., much better than yesterday s finish which provides a Confidence boost. After a Quick Shower and a bite to eat it s Back to the Blister tent for foot work and to get my legs massaged hopefully finishing up by 11 . I pop my first motrin Pill members of the 191st ordinance in from Miessau Germany pass � Windmill in the town of Groesbeek on their Way Back to Nijm Egen. A nonprescription painkiller before hitting the sack around 11 30 . The third Day arrives along with a course that s a bit Shorter than yesterdays but with a few Hills just outside of Groesbeek and Onward to Bergen dal. If you make it through today the veterans say you la finish the March. Two hours into the March i m usually close to the first rest Point of the Day. But today i m not even close. A Stocky Scot a rugged sergeant major in the British forces catches up to me and sees i m Puzzle. He reassures me that the rest Point is a bit farther Down the Road and that it s the farthest rest Point of the marches. Then he asks me questions not realizing it at the time that keep my mind off the walk while the motrin begins to kick in. Thankfully he gets me to the rest Point. I m beginning to notice though that it s getting harder and harder to Bounce Back after each Stop. Where it \ might have taken two hours to Complete a 10-Kilometer \ leg it now takes 2 a to three hours. J \ wait a Little longer at the rest Point before tackling the upcoming Hills which in reality Aren t As bad As i was led to believe. How big could Hills be in the Netherlands anyway by forcing myself to keep a steady brisk Pace up the Hills i accelerate the arrival of the inevitable blisters and have to Stop at the third rest Point outside of Bergen dal to get worked on. After an hour s Stop i hobble in the rest of the Way actually looking Forward to dinner and the dutch medical tent for the  by then the medics and doctors Are calling me by my first name. The fourth Day finally arrives put it s Tough to get out of bed. I barely pass the foot test and getting the socks and boots on is a real chore. We leave an hour earlier today because of the end of the marches Parade downtown. The extra 60 minutes mean we can walk the course a Little slower and still finish by the deadline. In goes another motrin for Good Luck. The first leg is Shorter than usual so i skip the rest Point continued on Page 20 spectators watch and encourage walkers As they March Fly carrying the stars and stripes nijmegenw1ip-up is photos by Gus Schuettler Sas Marv wonders flags and a to shirt hang from the Beer tent rafters where they were placed by climbing daredevils. The Beer tent Here everyone if you were looking for a sleepy to hum Corner pub to kill the pain after a grueling Outing at the Nijm Egen March then the Beer tent on Camp Heumen Soord was definitely not for  dress code for those who entered this place in addition to their boots and uniforms often included rappelling gear and their country s flags. And plenty of Beer to throw around. It happens every year said dutch sgt. 1st class Ronald Stol Senbach a Liaison officer for the Small contingents participating in the event. They get drunk and climb up the Beer tent support lines in the Hopes of putting their country s Flag at the very top of the rafters the Foolhardy who attempt this feat Are usually drunk and with the added pressure of flying plastic cups filled with Beer hurling at the daredevils in the knows your pain Hopes of thwarting their attempt Many fall some 45 feet Down to the wooden floor below. One year a Soldier broke his spine said dutch warrant officer Eric Leupe a Camp Public information officer. I Don t know How he turned out though. And i Don t have an exact figure on the Beer assault " Leupe added jokingly but said there Are Seldom serious altercations despite the rowdiness. Everyone is there to party and everyone has Bunin spite of the various countries and cultures said 1st it. Alfred Pluym also an information officer but no matter How Lively and wet the action gets inside after a Long Day s March the bartenders always have an orderly exit come closing time. The Beer tents close at 11 . And it Only takes two maps to get All the patrons out said Leupe. Mark wonders members of the 214th Field arty in of Bamber Germany offer a Toast after finishing the third Day s walk. 18 the stars and stripes wednesday july 28,1993 the stars and stripes 19