Officers and non-commissioned officers from 4th Battalion 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, pose with retired Norwegian Army Officer Nils Johansen, third from left, after completing the 18.6-mile Memorial Day Run and March May 28, 2016, in Castle Rock. They are, from left, 2nd Lt John Kistler, 1st Sgt. Nathan Hepfer, 1st Lt. Robert Deutchman, 1st Lt. Marco Sulsenti, Capt. John Moffat and Maj. Luster Hobbs. (Courtesy photo)
By 2nd Lt. John F. Kistler
4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
Leaders from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, participated in the second annual Memorial Day Run and March in Castle Rock May 28, 2016, in support of homeless veterans across Colorado.
Five “Manchus” and one 4th Brigade Support Battalion officer, all with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, earned the Norwegian Foot March Medal for completing the 18.6-mile course with a 25-pound rucksack in under 4 hours, 30 minutes. Each participant filled their rucks with dry and canned goods that they donated at the completion of the ruck to the Douglas/Elbert Task Force to help feed homeless veterans.
The Memorial Day Run and March began in 2015 to raise awareness and funds for local veterans and veteran’s organizations. The event is sponsored by the Colorado Veterans Project and has a mission to enhance pride and patriotism in all Coloradans by building a stronger, more supportive community around veterans.
This year hundreds of participants and attendees showed up to pay tribute to fallen heroes, donate food and push themselves to complete a 5- or 10-kilometer run or the 30-km ruck march.
“I was excited about trying to complete the 30K in under the allotted time, plus the cause that they were supporting is one that I am all about helping,” said 1st Lt. Robert Deutchman, executive officer, Forward Support Company G, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg. “The course itself was challenging and really required you to push yourself to get through it. I had a good time out there.”
In total, the 1st SBCT Soldiers donated more than 125 pounds of food and it is estimated that over 7,500 pounds of food was donated in total.
Maj. Luster R. Hobbs, executive officer, 4th Bn. 9th Inf. Reg., finished third out of 176 in the military division with a time of 3 hours, 35 minutes, an 11 minute, 42 second per mile pace.
All the Fort Carson Soldiers were able to maintain a better than 15-minute-per-mile pace and finish in the top half of all participants.