Exercise Blue Cord, May 2026.

At the start of the exercise, 92 soldiers, who enter the 44th, are divided into groups of 10 people at the roll call site. In addition, the lowest in rank becomes commander of the group, a nice challenge if a captain is in your group.

The day before, everyone is expected in the cinema at 09:30 to watch the cinema documentary 'In the service of peace'. The documentary is supervised by us (Fred van der Ploeg and Bert Kleine Schaars) and afterwards questions can be asked and this time there are a number of people who dare. The latter is a nice question in our opinion; "What did you take with you from this mission to the next mission?"

After the division into groups, everyone leaves for the cp (just outside the barracks) to receive coordinates and find a destination on the map where we start the exercise. Bert has now returned home and I am taken with a group to the first obstacle (the water crossing).

After 1 has entered the water, the questions have been answered, clothing has been wrung out and the coordinate has been pricked, we are on the road again to the next challenge. In total there are 11 activities that are spread within walking distance of each other and for which you can also walk on the tank track. The various exercises test knowledge and skills in the field of weapons, throwing hand grenades, rope climbing, first aid, cooperation and more. It is striking that the captain (and also the new BC) leave the other participants enough room to formulate answers.

The tradition exercise Blue Cord has many questions about the regiment and the battalion, the answers can be found in the book 'The Regiment Infantry Johan Willem Friso' which everyone has been able to study. Not all questions are answered and not every exercise collects all the letters needed to reproduce a spell, title or something similar with a link to the regiment at the end of the day. If a good solution is given at the end point after a long puzzle, the satisfaction is great.

After a bivouac in the field, everyone is marched from the CP by the BA to the roll call area where the rest of the battalion is already deployed. There, the blue cords are handed out by the UNIFIL veterans and congratulations are handed over, after which everyone is provided with a glass to after the call: 44! ALWAYS! IN FRONT! to make a toast. You belong, you are one of us and entitled to wear the blue cord. Welcome!

Fred van der Ploeg