On April 15 and 22 military and civilian personnel of the Lithuanian-led PRT of Ghowr took part in DANCON foot march organised by the Danish Contingent of the PRT.
Nearly 120 soldiers and civilians joined the march to walk a 21-kilometer distance. According to DANCON rules participants had to wear full equipment weighting no less than 14 kg - flak-jackets, helmets, chest rigs, and personal weapons.
The campaign was open for all PRT personnel, including maintenance personnel, representing Lithuania, Afghanistan, Denmark, Japan, USA, Croatia, Nepal, and Ukraine. The march lasted for two days so that everyone willing would have the opportunity to take part without interrupting completion of daily tasks.
All the participants had to walk a certain number of circles inside the camp. Although time limit for the whole distance was 6 hours, it took only a little more than two hours for the fastest participants. Senior officer of the Danish Contingent awarded traditional commemorative DANCON medals and certificates for those who successfully walked the whole 21km distance.
„This is the fifth DANCON march I had the chance to take part in so I know how much circumstances may differ; however, the campaign is challenging each time", senior officer of the Danish Contingent of Maj. Torben Nielsen said before opening the event.
„This time the most serious challenge were the big altitude above sea level (2,2km) and changeable weather: for the first three hours participants marched under burning sun succeeded by a sand storm, later they had to walk in mud and finally finished the march in pitch-dark", told conductor of the march Capt. Tommy Nielsen.
According to Capt. T. Nielsen, the main aim of DANCON is enhancing friendly social relations between representatives of different participant nations, but it also complies with the main principle of sports: a considerable competition was observed for the first places of the march.
DANCON has long been a tradition of the Danish military deployed on the multinational UN and NATO missions. The first DANCON march was arranged in 1972 in Cyprus. It has been organised in every service-place of the Danes ever since. In Afghanistan the march has been organised since Badakhshan, Helmand and Ghowr provinces where troops of the Royal Danish Armed Forces serve within PRTs.
Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team of Ghowr based in Chaghcharan, provincial capital, is a joint military-civilian mission operating under the NATO's International Security Assistance Force. Lithuania took responsibility for the PRT of Ghowr province in summer of 2005. The main objective of the PRT mission is to assist the Central Government of Afghanistan to extend its authority throughout the province, to ensure security and to help built environment favourable for provincial reconstruction.
PRT-10 currently providing security in Ghowr is based on the 1st Territorial Unit of Dainava Military District of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Force. Along with around 150 civilians and military from Lithuania representatives of Denmark, Georgia, Japan, USA, Romania and Ukraine serve in the Lithuanian-led Chaghcharan Provincial Reconstruction Team.
PIO for PRT-10 1st Lt. Skomantas Povilionis.
Pictures by WO Lina Ambroževičiūtė
