It has started. The first marching day is over.
At 17.00 hours the last of the soldiers had to be back at Camp Heumensoord.
The first forty kilometres in full kit is done.
We made a couple of special reports.
And we have two guests in the studio.
It's Tuesday 18 July. I am Jessica Bode and this is Defence News.
Of the 6000 marching soldiers, over 4000 are from other countries.
There are thirty nationalities.
These countries bring different cultures and different people.
Fortunately the liaison officers make things run smoothly. Welcome.
I have two liaison officers here: Frank Neff, welcome.
You are the liaison officer for the German delegation.
Yes, thanks for the invite.
And Maaike Peter, liaison officer for the small contingents.
You need to explain that.
Small contingents.
We are an SLO team that supports marchers without an LSO team.
We support them.
The German delegation has its own support team for Germany.
We have 21 different nationalities.
They walk alone, so to speak and we are their support team.
So the way to explain it...
is that some countries have large numbers of soldiers.
Germany has a large group. How many of you are there?
This year, we start with 375 people.
And like Maaike said, you have your own support.
Exactly.
We have three rest stops.
They sleep outside, in the city...
so they can get to the rest stops on time.
They swap rest stops in the afternoon for the next day.
We also have a medical team...
that takes care of the marchers when they are in the camp.
For the small contingents it means...
that countries are so small or have so few participants...
that they don't bring a support team. So they can join your team.
We have what Frank just explained...
We have three rest stops en route. The Dutch support the small contingents.
Small contingents are offered food and medical support by The Netherlands.
Who are... Name some nationalities that are a part of your team.
There is someone from Chili, two people from Singapore.
We have Shanghai, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Portugal.
But we also have Germans in our team.
But Germany has its own delegation. -You would think so...
but the beauty of small contingents...
is that we have groups with six different nationalities.
They can be Belgians, Frenchmen or Fins.
They form a group that is covered by small contingents.
The way I see it is that you are a contact person for them.
Can I put it like that?
What does that involve? Describe a day in the life of Frank.
What does Frank do?
The main part of the day is the LSO meeting where we all get together.
All the LSO's from the countries in small contingents.
We talk to the personnel in the camp about what is going on.
Are there things that we need to take care of?
We organise things together with the personnel in the camp.
We have 6000 people, more including personnel.
7000 even. -Yes.
They have to live together. That is a challenge.
They can come to you with questions.
That varies from when is dinner time to...
You get the oddest questions. -I want to know now.
What are odd questions that you haven’t heard before?
Today, there was someone with a problem at the laundromat.
You get on your bike and head to the laundromat.
Or small errands.
A small bin bag.
We're like hostesses.
You take care of everything. -For everyone.
But if you are the contact person...
you must be the help and stay for the participants.
The participants just returned and you met them.
How are they doing? -Very well.
Today was a very good day.
The weather was good.
Last year, it was clearly very different.
Extremely hot. -It was extremely hot.
This year, it's going well. It was a beautiful first day.
For you as well? -I just came from the route.
My marchers are higher up in the group that I am in.
We have a team of six that does everything together.
This morning, I went to the start. Then I get some sleep.
Then I start to cycle along the route. I check how they look.
Some suffer more than others. -It's only day one.
This morning, we saw the marchers leave...
on the first day of the Marches.
Our reporter, Charlotte made a report.
It's ten past four on Tuesday morning. This is the first day of the Marches.
They are busy preparing. The orchestra and the first marchers are ready.
There is a podium. There are soldiers with a white band round their arm.
I'm really curious what is going on.
There are a number of Dutch and foreign generals.
Each country will be saluted by one or more generals from their own country.
For each delegation, a general will step forward...
to bring a salute on the podium behind us.
The troops will then leave.
That looked impressive. What do you think?
It was amazing to see. They still look fresh now.
People are keen to go. We'll have to see what it's like at the end of the day.
You came at the right time. -That is true.
In all honesty, it is great weather. It will be a wonderful few days.
And the marchers are keen.
Can I ask you something? What is on your clipboard?
All the detachments with a number. Where they are from and how many.
We have to check the numbers to see how many people are marching.
This is day one.
Are there people missing already? People who don't even start?
I'm checking if they reported the correct numbers.
Some people drop out in advance.
They had to report the numbers yesterday. We're checking them now.
So it counts for...
For the flag. Do all countries get that?
No, we only do the Dutch detachments.
For the assessment, we also count the drop-outs.
So we need to know how many of them start.
It's a beautiful thing to witness. You were there too.
Certainly. Of course. -First day.
It went well, like you said.
That is what we work towards. That is where it starts.
You spend months preparing everything for that day...
and of course also for the rewards on the Friday, but...
At least we have started now and it went well today.
That is a step in the right direction.
While we were watching the report I noticed the rubber duck...
on your shirt. What is the deal with the ducks?
I have heard some rumours about that.
The rubber ducks are a tradition within small contingents.
We created a living room.
And there is a garden with a pond for the ducks to swim in.
All the countries have flags there. That has been a tradition.
The rubber duck. -Yes.
And the detachments often bring a rubber duck...
that they write a thank you on.
This year, we didn't bring the big duck.
There was a big duck on the Portakabin, but we didn't bring it this year.
They are all gifts.
You have collected a lot of ducks over the years.
But something happened to them.
Last Friday night, we received a couple of new ducks.
Of course, they needed to go in the pond.
We put them by the pond.
The baby ducks are still there, but the mama ducks were taken.
Removed. -Yes, and we're not happy.
So you ask whoever took them...
We really want them back.
We're not angry, we just want them back.
They have emotional value. You've done this job a while.
Eight years, Frank? -Yes.
And Maaike? -33 years.
I can imagine that you have gotten to know a lot of people.
People you see again every year.
Do you see people connect? Friendships?
Yes, we see that in the camp.
It's like a small family, especially between the LSO's...
but also with the personnel in the camp.
It's amazing. -And the participants.
You see all the international participants return.
And new people as well. That is what makes this special.
Especially at Camp Heumensoord.
People really take to this and they catch this Marching virus.
You hear that people... You see this too.
They arrive and you see they feel at home.
It gives me goosebumps. Beautiful.
There are lots of friendships. Do you see romance as well?
Yes.
I can tell you more about that.
I met my wife here.
During the Marches? -No, not then.
I met her here in the camp.
After a while, we learned to love each other.
When was this? -It is...
That is a painful question.
Counting back, it was in 2016.
It's been a while.
You are together? That is why you speak Dutch so well.
That is right. I moved here. I live really close by.
Close to the camp.
That is why I learned the language.
There have been friendships, marriages, and maybe baby's as well.
That happens too. -I have one.
I have heard it all. Our reporter Charlotte Snel...
also discovered a romance that she wants to tell us about.
Marchers always leave here with blisters and sore muscles...
but Marylène and Joel came back with a special souvenir:
Love.
So things blossomed here in the camp during the Four Day Marches.
Yes, that is right.
They were the only moments during the four days, or five or six...
that we were really together...
and had time to go for a drink and see what the other person was like.
What makes this so special for you?
I can't really answer that.
The vibe when you spend four days walking with your mates...
You just need to be there.
Is it more special now you are walking together?
Nothing has changed.
I'm in the Belgian Defence Team.
Marylène is in the Belgian German Friendship Team.
It's an international team. We're not in the same team.
Tour de l'amour, each year. -Something like that.
Does Tour de l'Amour bring back memories? Having met your wife here?
Yes, indeed. That's really fantastic. -Great memories?
Just as an example, I've known her for a long time.
Those are the faces that you love to see again.
The ones that come back every year.
And we've missed them so much during the two Corona years.
It was so nice to see everyone again last year.
You've been doing this for 33 years.
Are you going to walk it? -I have walked it before.
Will you do it again? -I hope so.
But I'll keep doing my LSO job. That is such gratifying work.
But I definitely want to walk it again.
I want to walk it by myself. It's my opinion that if you're here...
in Nijmegen, you need to have walked it yourself.
Maybe something for you? -Let's talk about that some other time.
It was a beautiful day to walk for the marchers.
Sun-drenched with some clouds. So you could keep your cool.
But our weatherman will tell us if tomorrow will be another beautiful day.
Today, Tuesday the 18th of July, enjoy a lovely walk on the Betuwe.
You can see that the sun is shining. Beautiful weather for taking a walk.
The start this morning was excellent. Everything went smoothly.
But what does the weather look like?
It will cool down tonight. It will be between 11 and 13 degrees.
It will be overcast. Perfect to have a good night's rest.
But what about tomorrow?
It will be around 21 degrees. The weather will be more inconsistent.
Sadly, there will be some rain showers. So don't forget your rain clothing.
At the very least, bring along a rain coat for proper protection.
Tomorrow will bring even more fun.
Tomorrow is Pink Wednesday.
And on Pink Wednesday we showcase our support.
I'd like to wish you all a lot of fun on Pink Wednesday.
We'll see each other again for a new weather report.
All signs indicate that it will be another beautiful marching day.
I don't think a little rain will faze anyone, right?
We're used to that in the Netherlands.
I want to thank you for your time in the studio.
Best of luck in the coming days.
It will work itself out. -Things can definitely still be arranged.
That's all the Defence News for today. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.