Six Future Military Doctors Take on a 100-Mile Test of Grit

Six Uniformed Services University medical students and a faculty member completed the 100-mile Nijmegen Four Day March in the Netherlands.

Members of the combined Uniformed Services University and 65th Medical Brigade team pose beneath an inflatable helmet display before the start of the Nijmegen Four Day March in the Netherlands. (Courtesy Photo)

July 29, 2026 by Sharon Holland

Six Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) medical students from the Class of 2029 recently took on one of the world's most demanding endurance events, completing the 108th International Four Day Marches in Nijmegen, Netherlands, July 21–24.

2nd Lts. Claire Akard, Jacob Bliss, Samuel Hey, Maja Inthavixay, Sean McKee, and Nicholas Quintanilla, and USU Army company commander Capt. Francis Orlando, completed the four-day, 100-mile march, covering approximately 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, each day in uniform and boots while carrying a 10-kilogram (22-pound) rucksack.

Joining them were teammates from the 65th Medical Brigade at Camp Humphreys, Korea: Maj. Keld Pia, 2nd Lt. Ben Mabie, Staff Sgt. Tia Delgado, Sgt. Vu Truong, and Spec. Edward Arnold, along with Staff Sgt. Jose Pantija-Perez from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, and Capt. Wes Mayeux from the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Dr. James Mancuso, chair of USU's Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, also successfully completed the march as part of a separate team from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Known as the Vierdaagse, the Nijmegen Four Day Marches is an extraordinary international event that combines military endurance with a distinctly Dutch celebration of perseverance and camaraderie. Approximately 6,000 military participants from around the world took part this year, marching alongside tens of thousands of civilian participants. Military teams begin their days at Camp Heumensoord, a temporary military encampment that serves as a hub for international military participants during the event.

2nd Lt. Maja Inthavixay, a Uniformed Services University medical student, marches through Nijmegen, Netherlands, during the 108th International Four Day Marches, July 21-24. (Courtesy Photo)

For four days, the USU students marched through Nijmegen and the surrounding communities alongside military members from numerous nations. Crowds lined the routes throughout the event, cheering on military formations and civilian walkers alike. The atmosphere reached a crescendo on the final day, when thousands of spectators filled the streets for the Via Gladiola—the celebratory final stretch where finishers were greeted with flowers, flags, applause, and encouragement.

The experience was about far more than covering the miles. For the USU students, it offered an opportunity to test the physical endurance, mental resilience, teamwork, and determination expected of future military physicians.

The USU contingent came together through the initiative of 2nd Lt. McKee, who had previously participated in the Nijmegen march while stationed in Germany and later returned as part of a military team in Korea. Hoping to make the event available to USU students as a summer operational experience, McKee worked with Maj. Pia to combine teams when USU could not recruit the 15 participants required to field a team independently.

That effort gave six USU students the opportunity to participate alongside experienced military marchers in an event that brings together service members from across the globe. For the students, it was a chance to experience military camaraderie and international partnership while pushing themselves through a demanding test of endurance.

Those who complete the four-day military march receive the Vierdaagsekruis, or Cross for the Four Day Marches, a recognized foreign military medal for U.S. service members. Before receiving their medals, finishers pass through the Field of Charlemagne and then enter the Via Gladiola for the final celebratory miles into Nijmegen.

Uniformed Services University marchers make their way through the streets of Nijmegen, Netherlands, alongside thousands of fellow participants during the four-day, 100-mile event. (Courtesy Photo)

For the six members of the USU Class of 2029, the accomplishment represents more than 100 miles on foot. It is another example of the distinctive preparation USU provides future military medical leaders—challenging students beyond the classroom and clinical environment while building the teamwork and readiness they will need to serve wherever their missions take them.

"I think the march is the most fun four days you can spend wearing the uniform. It's a good time to break away from the "student-role" and experience some of what we miss by being on campus- soldiering and getting to interact with service members from all over the world," McKee says. "For that same reason it's really great to be going with classmates, many of whom joined the military just last year. Accomplishing this, earning a medal, all while having so much fun can't be replicated elsewhere."