Danish Regiments: The "Flying Vikings" and the MCM
Royal Danish Engineers, the Allied Forces Foundation and Team Azalea Charities together in the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon.
I am Capt. John Overgaard, Commanding Officer of 1 Armored Engineer Coy, Royal Danish Engineers. Inspired by last year’s Danish participation in the MCM, I decided to gather Danish SAPPERS to show our support for this great event. As a Company we wanted to show our close alliance with our British & American comrades throughout missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. We have fought side by side with our US friends in many missions.
Danish SAPPER sweeping for mines in Afghanistan
"Since 2007, the Company has trained and deployed SAPPERS to Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Within the company, nearly all are veterans of Afghanistan and/or Iraq. Last year we lost a Military Working Dog team due to roadside bombs in Helmand. The consequences of war are close within the unit. At the moment I have 7 recovering wounded SAPPERS in my company.
It’s a great honor for us to participate in MCM 2011 and to run alongside our allied friends for this great cause of helping our common wounded. We look forward to joining you in Washington DC".
Capt. John Overgaard
Commanding Officer of 1 Armored Engineer Coy, Royal Danish Engineers
(Return here soon for full details of the Capt. John Overgaard's Danish team)
You may offer your support to the team here:
http://www.active.com/donate/TeamAzalea2011/RoyalDanish
See also news of Danish participation in the New York Marathon here...
2010
The mounted squadron of the Danish Guard Hussars on ceremonial duty
The 35th running of the "Peoples' Marathon" had many special people participating as usual, but few more so than the two joint wounded and active warrior teams from the Forces of the Kingdom of Denmark.
A steadfast ally of the US even before the earliest days of the start of America's "War on Terror", Danish forces stood side by side with American and British Forces in Iraq from 2003-2008, and in Afghanistan since 2002 to the present day.
With a population of just over 5.6 million (1/56 that of the US, or twice the population of the City of Chicago) those conflicts together have claimed 44 Danish fallen, and in excess of 150 wounded.
Within the ISAF coalition, these numbers proportionately represent the greatest losses of all the nations. The gallant Danes have fought way above their numbers and continue to do so.
They came to DC to represent the Allied Forces Foundation, Inc. and their nation in the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon, and in doing so proudly displayed their alliance with the US in the defense of those freedoms too many of us take so readily for granted.
Two of their team members raced in wheelchairs. Both LCpl Christian Richardson and LCpl Niels Kristian Brinth were wounded in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, where the Danes are under British Command in support of the Americans.
See video footage from the MCM here (mostly in Danish) sourced from www.forsvarskanalen.dk. Executive Director Steve Cain of the AFF is interviewed, and the camera work gives a real feel for the event.
These "Flying Vikings" also raised funds for wounded American comrades under the banner of the wonderful Azalea Charities "Run for Wounded Warriors" project.
Please help to Carry these Comrades. Our donation page is never closed.
Back row left to right: MAJ Henrik Dupont (GHR): Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo veteran;
CAP Lars Bo Holm Pedersen (GHR): Bosnia, Macedonia, Iraq and Afghanistan veteran;
CAP Steffen Scharff (GHR): Afghanistan veteran;
CAP Claus Rosendahl (FLV):
UN Lebanon veteran;
LCpl Jens Rasmussen (JDR): Iraq veteran;
Private 1st class Rune Brinth Nielsen (GHR) (younger brother to Niels Kristian): Afghanistan veteran;
CAP Mikkel Soelberg (JDR): Afghanistan veteran. Front row left to right:
LCpl Christian Richardson (LG): Kosovo, Afghanistan veteran;
LCpl Niels Kristian Brinth (JDR) (older brother to Rune): Afghanistan veteran
Preceding four photographs by Anders Fridberg. See more on Picasa here.
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GHR: Gardehusarregimentet – Guard Hussar Regiment: http://forsvaret.dk/ghr | |
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JDR: Jydske Dragonregiment – Jydske Dragoon Regiment: http://forsvaret.dk/jdr | |
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FLV: Flyvevåbnet – Airforce: http://forsvaret.dk/FTK | |
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LG: Den Kongelige Livgarde – Royal Life Guards: http://forsvaret.dk/lg |