Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, head to the Marian House Soup Kitchen Dec. 14, 2016, as part of “Operation Stryker Christmas” after completing an overnight 25-mile “Manchu Mile” road march. (Photo by 1st Lt. John F. Kistler)
By 1st Lt. John F. Kistler
4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
The Manchu Mile is one of the Army’s most well-known ruck marches, having been conducted by thousands of 9th Infantry Regiment Soldiers in Alaska, Korea and Colorado.
From the night of Dec. 14, 2016 until early morning Dec. 15, 2016, “Manchus” with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, marched to the tune of 25 miles from the tanks trails of Fort Carson to the Pikes Peak Greenway of Colorado Springs.
Aided by a full and bright super moon, the Soldiers withstood the cold temperatures, sore and cramping muscles and blistering feet to complete the march to Dorchester Park in downtown Colorado Springs. There the battalion linked up with the rest of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, to walk an additional 2 miles to the Marian House Soup Kitchen as part of the seventh annual “Operation Stryker Christmas.”
“The Manchu Mile is a historic event for us and represents a significant piece of our history,” said 1st Sgt. Nathan Hepfer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg.
The Manchu Mile is held on a biannual basis as a commemorative event honoring the 85-mile forced march the 9th Inf. Reg. Soldiers undertook in 1900 to rescue besieged foreign diplomats and missionaries in Tientsin, China, during the Boxer Rebellion. The grueling road march places emphasis on unit cohesion and esprit de corps rather than the speed of march, he noted.
“I felt pretty accomplished. It’s important to remember what Soldiers in the past have done. I was proud to have finished with the rest of the guys,” said Pvt. Andrew Eoff, Company C, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg., who had only been at the unit for a week when he was told about the march. The longest road march he had completed previously was 12 miles during infantry basic training.
All finishers of the Manchu Mile are awarded the coveted Manchu belt buckle, which features a dragon encircling the number nine and the words “Keep up the fire,” and is the only buckle authorized for wear by the Department of the Army under General Order No. 5. A total of 364 Soldiers completed the foot march, including a handful of participants from outside the battalion.
Staff Sgt. Cory Pagliara, platoon sergeant, Company A, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg., completed his fourth Manchu Mile with his platoon.
“What I’ve always liked about the Manchu Mile is that it is a great team event,” he said. “To be able to take your platoon through it and complete it with them is more satisfying than just completing it yourself.
It’s physically demanding but it’s even more mentally demanding. Mentally, the Manchu Mile is a great test of resiliency.”