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Dogface Soldiers first American military to recreate 60-mile “Long March”

3rd Division Sustainment Brigade

Jan. 29, 2024 | 34:28

More than 30 U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division and Garrison Support Element- Poland participate in Exercise Long March from Zagan, Poland, to Spremberg, Germany, Jan. 26-28, 2024. The Soldiers, the first American military members to participate since the original march in 1945, walked 60 miles over three days along the original route of the Stalag Luft III evacuation to recreate the forced march of allied prisoners in World War II as the German military fled Russian advancement during the final winter of the war. Tens of thousands of allied prisoners of war suffered from undernourishment alongside numerous maladies, severe cold, snow and ice, and uncertainty of their fate as they were forced into inner Germany, with an estimated thousands dying from exposure, disease and exhaustion. The recreation was organized and led by Capt. Branden Wayne, a logistics officer assigned to 87th Division Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Division Sustainment Brigade, and Howard De Lester, head of training for Mil Trg. The 3rd Infantry Division’s mission in Europe is to engage in multinational training and exercises across the continent, working alongside NATO Allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America’s forward deployed corps in Europe.