A group of soldiers from the Johannes Postkazerne in Havelte has started an exceptional relay tour: they take the liberation fire from the Normandian coast to Drenthe. The tour takes them past places with deep historical significance, as a tribute to the liberators from eighty years ago.
Together with colleagues from Sneek and a Delegation Canadian soldiers they left yesterday. In Arromanches-les-Bains, where the liberation of Europe began on D-Day, they were handed over the fire. Captain Luc, company commander in Havelte: “It is an honor, and at the same time a way to draw attention to freedom and for charity.”
The route that the soldiers travel is not just one. The liberation fire is worn in a relay form over a distance of 925 kilometers. It is partly about the historic liberation route of the Allies. Via Belgium and Northern France, the tour runs to the Netherlands, with countless stops on the way at monuments from the Second World War.
The soldiers run in three running groups, accompanied by cyclists who keep the route safe. Each participant takes around 30 to 40 kilometers for his or her account. “We walk without a pack, just running, in stages,” says Captain Luc from a campsite in Normandy. “After every ten kilometers there is a change. That way we can continue day and night, we sleep in tents on campsites.”
The Johannes Postkazerne in Havelte is an important junction in the journey: on 4 May the runners attend the National Remembrance Day. During the ceremony, attention is paid to the sacrifices of that time and the use of soldiers of today. For the participants from Havelte that is extra loaded, because the liberation fire is on their own home base.
After the ceremony, the runners continue the liberation fire to Friesland. It is no coincidence that the route runs via Havelte: the soldiers of the 44th Armored Infantry Battalion are not only participants, but also co -organizer of the initiative.
The relay is therefore more than just a sporting challenge. It is a connecting mission, says Captain Luc. “We are walking this trip to honor our liberators. But also to raise money for Stichting Hulphond, who is committed to soldiers and police officers with PTSD. The tour is therefore dominated by the past and of the here and now.”