Running With Wolves
The Manchu Mile is a grueling 25-mile trek inspired by a longer historic march and ensuing battle.The Manchu Mile takes its name from an 85-mile forced march undertaken by soldiers from the 9th Infantry Regiment during the Chinese "Boxer Rebellion" in 1900, according to information from the Army. The soldiers marched from Taku Bar to the city of Tientsin, where they immediately went into action to help rescue besieged foreign diplomats and missionaries from insurgent Boxers, according to the Army.
The regiment would later earn the honorary title "Manchus."
Twice a year, soldiers from the 9th Infantry Regiment have conducted Manchu Mile marches to build unit cohesion and celebrate the unit's lineage — and despite its name, the Manchu Mile is actually a 25-mile road march.
When 2nd Battalion inactivates later this year, the only remaining 9th Infantry Regiment unit in the Army today will be at Fort Carson, Colorado, according to information from 1st BCT, 2nd Infantry.
"It's bittersweet," said Lt. Col. Scott Knight, commander of 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment. "It's the last Manchu Mile on the peninsula. I'm just very proud to have been part of this battalion and to be part of the execution of its last Manchu Mile."
The Manchu Mile is physically and mentally challenging for soldiers, but it also builds cohesion and esprit de corps, Knight said.
Soldiers who successfully complete the march will earn the distinctive Manchu belt buckle, the only unit belt buckle authorized for wear by the Department of the Army, he said.
"It's bragging rights," Knight said. "You'll be surprised how strong the desire is to complete [the march], from every soldier in the battalion, to earn that belt buckle so they can wear it with pride for the rest of their military service … and be part of that legacy."
Soldiers in 2nd Battalion road march every Tuesday, said Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Cobb, the battalion's senior enlisted soldier. The units start with a four-mile march before working their way up every week until they reach 12 miles, he said.
"They'll continue that cycle and carry a little bit heavier load, and they'll move a little bit faster, so when it comes to the Manchu Mile, they're ready for it," Cobb said.
The intent is to have soldiers fit enough to march the distance and still be ready to fight, Cobb said.
"Our predecessors did an 85-mile march, and they didn't sit and rest," he said. "They went straight into a fight."
On Wednesday afternoon, the 1,200 participants in the Manchu Mile will gather at Liscum Field in their kit – this includes their helmet, load-bearing equipment, assigned weapon and 35-pound ruck.
Also joining them will be about 30 veterans of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army, or KATUSA, program. The program, which has been around since the 1950s, puts Korean troops at all levels of the Army's units, from tank crews to infantry squads to companies and unit staffs. These KATUSA veterans will range in age from 30 to 60, Knight said.
"My first experience on the Manchu Mile, I walked with a 78-year-old KATUSA vet," he said. "It is pretty impressive."
The march itself will kick off at 3 p.m. Wednesday so the participants can escape the heat of the day, Knight said.
Commentary:
Being in the Active Duty US Army Infantry and deployed overseas to South Korea I was one of the lucky ones to take place in this event. I liked it so much I did it twice. We walked every bit of that Manchu mile.
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Source: https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2015/05/19/2-9-infantry-to-conduct-last-manchu-mile-march-in-korea/