NEW KABUL COMPOUND, Afghanistan (Aug. 13, 2015) -- More than 50 Commando artillery Soldiers each carried a minimum of 23 pounds and a weapon during the Danish Contingency, or DANCON, March here July 23.
Members of A Battery, 2nd Battalion,15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI), joined their Danish, British, Mongolian and German allies for the 25K or 15.5-mile foot march that has been a tradition with the Danish Defense Force beginning in 1972.
The majority of the march was conducted after the sun set, with Soldiers running by the intermittent flickering of lights along the perimeter of the base.
Although the participants had five hours to complete the required distance, Spc. Andrew Swindasz, a medic with 3rd Platoon, was the first U.S. Soldier to finish the march in 3 hours and 13 minutes.
It was a tough event, but the camaraderie among the artillerymen motivated everyone to finish the march with high spirits.
Members of the battery who did not participate in the march showed their support by lining the course at various times and places to cheer and encourage their comrades to keep moving.
Soldiers who finished the march will receive a Danish medal and certificate to mark their participant in this unique team-building event.
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