14 March 2013

Homecoming parade in Holstebro

On 22 February 2013, the garrison town of Holstebro hosted a homecoming event for Danish servicemen and -women just returned from Afghanistan. It was the town’s fourth homecoming event for Danish ISAF troops. The event started in Holstebro’s indoor sports arena, where close to 600 soldiers and approximately the same number of relatives, and some ten military dignitaries, national and local politicians, and journalists had gathered. The program opened with an informal reception with refreshments and musical entertainment by the Prince Music Corps, after which DANCON ISAF Team 14 was paraded, and a word of welcome given by the garrison commander and the town mayor, who assured the audience that Holstebro was proud to host the event and grateful that the soldiers had made the town known in the rest of Denmark as well as abroad. The soldiers were then commanded to commence the ISAF 14-march, which after a short stretch through a deserted industrial zone, were greeted by the local fire brigade, proceeded through the town’s pedestrian and commercial streets, where relatives, friends, colleagues, and other citizens received the troops with smiles and flying paper-flags, and finally, after 3.5 km, returned to the arena to more speeches and medal award ceremonies. With best wishes for the weekend and the future from the chief of Team 14, the parade quickly disintegrated, and the soldiers reunited with their families, or found their buddies, and hurried to the busses that would take them to their different destinations across Denmark.

The return of the Vikings. The double-bladed Viking axe symbolises strength and willpower, and has been seen by the soldiers of VIKING-COY as a reminder of their Danish warrior heritage. Photo by Thomas Randrup Pedersen

The return of the Vikings. The double-bladed Viking axe symbolises strength and willpower, and has been seen by the soldiers of VIKING-COY as a reminder of their Danish warrior heritage. Photo by Thomas Randrup Pedersen ©

Dress codes, public appearance, pride and respect. In the last minutes before the parade and the march through town, soldiers are busy checking every detail of their uniform and making sure that their medals are properly attached and placed in the right order. Photo by Thomas Randrup Pedersen

Dress codes, public appearance, pride and respect. In the last minutes before the parade and the march through town, soldiers are busy checking every detail of their uniform and making sure that their medals are properly attached and placed in the right order. Photo by Thomas Randrup Pedersen ©

Back to the home front. The presence of numerous young mothers, pregnant girlfriends, prams, toddlers, and playing children in the arena disclose that many soldiers are also husbands and fathers, who have been missed and are now returning to new challenges and tasks. Photo by Birgitte Refslund Sørensen

Back to the home front. The presence of numerous young mothers, pregnant girlfriends, prams, toddlers, and playing children in the arena disclose that many soldiers are also husbands and fathers, who have been missed and are now returning to new challenges and tasks. Photo by Birgitte Refslund Sørensen ©