Photo By Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Matson | A statue on the Wolf Hunter's Chapel in the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Dec....... read more read more
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Rainy weather didn’t dampen the spirit of Christmas on Grafenwoehr Training Area December 22 and 23rd.
Families and individual hikers from the local area were not hampered by a constant drizzle as they hiked either a 3.1 or 5.2-mile stretch of GTA during the 7th Army Training Command Holiday Volksmarch. Along the way, hikers were able to learn a little about the area where Soldiers train, and view unique attractions such as the Bleidorn Tower, the Elvis brick and the Wolf Hunter's Chapel. The event took place between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on both Dec. 22 and 23.
The event provided some much-needed holiday relief for at least one local youngster.
“It’s pretty hard that we have to stay inside the whole time, so we wanted to take this chance to be a little bit in the fresh air,” Justin Carlin, 12, who participated in the event with his family, said.
Major Matthew Eidt, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 7th ATC, and the event’s officer in charge, said the Volksmarch was part of 7th ATC Commanding General Brig. Gen. Christopher Norrie’s initiative to provide some safe holiday options during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He realized that with the restrictions, many Soldiers can’t travel home and things like that, so we looked at what we might be able to do in the training area to support that initiative,” Eidt said.
Eidt said the paramount factor in planning the event was making sure it adhered to all COVID-19 restrictions/mitigation measures.
“Participants signed in, for accountability and trace measures, and we strictly controlled the flow of traffic onto the hiking trail,” Eidt said.
He said participants first registered through the event website, at which time they were issued tickets staggered by 30-minute intervals between participants, to adhere to Bavarian rules on gatherings.
Eidt said Soldiers worked to ensure participants maintained social distancing, and that they were required to wear a mask any time two-meter spacing couldn’t be observed. He said hand sanitation stations were present throughout the course, and that the event was strictly vetted, both by the command, and through outside agencies as well, to include preventative medicine professionals.
“Individual exercise and family exercise is allowed, and we’ve restricted this to be an individual or single-family event,” Eidt said.
Other general safety precautions were also in place, such as roving Soldiers preventing participants from getting lost, Soldiers at check points with campfires serving as warming stations for anyone who may be getting cold, and medics on site with field ambulances, Eidt said.
“Really this was a Volksmarch in name only,” Eidt said. “In a traditional German Volksmarch, generally you would have a larger group of numerous parties, and maybe some alcohol being served. This was an individual or family hike through the training area.”
Eidt said the Wolf Hunter’s Chapel was originally built in the 17th century and rebuilt in the 1960’s. He said according to the legend of the chapel, it is the site of where a hunter was attacked by a wolf and was in grave danger of dying. The hunter prayed and at the last second, his son showed up and shot the wolf, saving his father. A painting inside depicts the legend. Eidt said the small chapel is still active today, hosting an annual Catholic Service.
Bleidorn Tower is an observation tower that was built in 1926 as an observation post overlooking the impact area. Eidt said another attraction for hikers on the long route is Observation Point 8, which also provides a scenic overlook
At the base of the tower is Elvis’ brick. Elvis Presley, already the world’s biggest teen idol and musical superstar when he was drafted into the Army in 1958, spent two years as a Soldier stationed in Friedberg, West Germany, with the 1st Medium Tank Battalion. He allegedly carved his name into a brick at the base of the tower while training at Grafenwoehr.
Resident expert and author of the book “Grafenwoehr Training Area Yesterday and Today,” Gerald Morgenstern, was at the event both days, sharing information from his book on the attractions and the training area.
In addition to all the historic attractions, Eidt said the beauty of the hike, as well as the opportunity to see wildlife such as deer, Hirsch, wild boar, wolves, eagles, and a host of other animals provided an added attraction to the event.
Yasmine Levinson, a DoD civilian who has lived in the area since 1997, said she had never seen any of the attractions on the training area before. She said she thought the event was a wonderful idea.
“It’s really a big plus, especially in COVID times, when people can’t go anywhere, to have events like this,” Levinson said. “I would definitely do this again and I hope that this event, as well as the other Christmas events, will continue – that would be wonderful for everybody.”
| Date Taken: | 12.23.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.26.2020 06:54 |
| Story ID: | 385787 |
| Location: | GRAFENWOEHR, DE |
| Web Views: | 119 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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