Young soldiers complete grueling march to Jerusalem; commander: it´s preparation for war

Hundreds of paratroopers who joined the IDF in August of 2011 completed Monday a grueling 70-kilometer (roughly 42 miles) march en route to earning the unit´s coveted red beret.

The troops embarked on the march Sunday evening and were on the move for nearly 24 consecutive hours. During the challenging journey they had to contend with particularly harsh winter conditions as they marched through the chilly air of the Jerusalem Mountains.

Starting next week, the soldiers will be assigned to various paratroop regiments for operational activity.

The long march began in the Bet Shemesh area and saw the soldiers walking through large swamps, before reaching the final destination: Jerusalem´s Ammunition Hill. The troops received the red beret during a ceremony at the site, in the presence of family members.

Carrying 40% of body weight

"The journey was symbolic and perhaps exciting, but it´s part of our preparation for war and there were no songs involved. Everyone marched quietly," Paratroopers´ training base Regiment Commander, Lt.- Col. Guy Berger, told Ynet. This was his third march as regiment commander and 10th since joining the paratroopers.

"The new thing about this march was that every soldier carried equipment, ammunition and arms weighing 40% of his body weight, to help train for a long walk to the enemy target," Berger said. "About 95% of the soldiers completed the journey, and none of them stopped midway. Most of the march was uphill, and during the last 10 kilometers (6 miles) we opened two stretchers in each platoon to simulate carrying the wounded," he said.

"It´s always exciting to watch the soldiers march uphill to Jerusalem during sunrise," Berger concluded. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 02/20/12)