‘Walk in the Hills’ Puts U.S. Soldiers Through SERE‑Style Recon Challenge

There were roughly 50 checkpoints on the map given to competitors. Each had numeral markers in the legend and plain descriptions such as “Top of a Small Hill” or “Dried, Gnarled Pine.” The final point on the map was listed simply as “110 – Dark Rock.”

These were the coordinates, or unmanned points, using the military grid reference system that teams of four had to plot and navigate to earn points during a recent reconnaissance competition in southern Estonia.

The competition, called Walk in the Hills or Day in the Life of a Forest Brother, is hosted annually by the Estonian Defence League. This year’s event took place near the small village of Rouge in Võru County, Estonia. The origins of the event can be traced back more than 80 years.

During World War II and the decades that followed, armed fighters who resisted Soviet occupation in Estonia sought refuge in the forest to escape capture and disrupt enemy operations. These fighters learned to survive and remain elusive in harsh terrain and conditions. They became known as the Forest Brothers. That lineage continues today, and the EDL invites its NATO partners to share in the team building and camaraderie.

"The main purpose of this competition is the camaraderie between the competitors," said Cpt. Tõnis Kask, the event organizer, Võrumaa District, EDL. "They can come here and have a challenging exercise and test their orienteering skills on the ground. Test the tough Southern Estonian Trail and see how they manage our weather as it is different every year.”

The event is open to all EDL subunits, the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organization, Estonian youth scout organizations, and security and rescue authorities. Military service members from NATO allies are welcome to participate. Of the dozen or so teams, most were EDL representatives, along with a Latvian group and three U.S. Army teams.

One U.S. team was from the 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. The remaining two teams hailed from the 734th Regional Support Group, Iowa Army National Guard. All U.S. Soldiers who competed are in Central Europe and the Baltic States in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve under V Corps’ forward-deployed headquarters and pivotal role in the defense of NATO’s eastern flank.

Many of the U.S. Soldiers traveled from forward operating sites throughout the V Corps area of operation. A few traveled nearly 1,000 kilometers for the chance to compete in the austere reconnaissance challenge, which lasted through the night and totaled about 30 hours. Competitors were provided a map with checkpoints. No backpacks or rucks were allowed, and participants could only use what they could carry in their pockets.

Items of necessity for most teams included a canteen, protein bar, compass, protractor and extra socks. Add in creature comforts like gum, caffeine or snacks and that was it. Many brought lighters, which proved useful as fires were allowed in certain neutral areas and helped teams survive overnight in the chilly autumn forest.

Teams could also navigate to another neutral “safehouse” in a barn, where they were safe from the notional enemy and were provided food, water and heat. Medical aid was stationed there and could be dispersed anywhere in the competition area if needed.

Those creature comforts and the safehouse provided a much‑needed reprieve while traversing over 100 square kilometers of bogs, dense forest and uneven terrain — not to mention a notional enemy or opposing force. Points were deducted each time a team member was captured by OPFOR, which used drones and patrolled roads by foot and vehicle. Each team member had five lives until they were eliminated from the competition.

In addition to the grid points, there were six manned checkpoints where teams had to complete tasks and were graded on their performance. Near a large climbing tower was the Tower of Tires checkpoint, a brain teaser.

"Essentially, there were five tires," said Spc. Franklin Mandein, a signal operations support specialist, 734th RSG, IAARNG. "Each with varying sizes, one being the smallest, five being the biggest. And they were on one pole. There were three other poles in the ground and your goal was to get all five of those tires in the exact same order, from 1 to 5 on the third pole without having any of the bigger tires on top of the smaller tires."

Other manned checkpoints included mortar, driving, communication, medical and NATO identification lanes. In the NATO ID lane, participants had to identify which NATO country the gear or clothing items belonged to — useful information since a core part of what the 734th RSG and V Corps are doing in Central Europe and the Baltic States is working alongside NATO and host nations to maintain and grow military partnerships. Events like these improve partner convergence and interoperability throughout the area of operation.

The Walk in the Hills competition took place near one of the 734th RSG’s forward operating sites in Estonia, where one of the U.S. participants, Sgt. Patrick Bennett, a military police officer with the 734th RSG, IARNG, works in the mayor cell assisting U.S. regional aligned forces as well as host nation counterparts and other allies.

"My favorite part about working with the Estonian military is being able to see the shared brotherhood across borders with one of our NATO partners," said Bennett. "The hospitality that they shared towards U.S. forces is comparable to the hospitality we receive from other U.S. Soldiers. They shared their food, their experience, and their training as if we were one of their own."

Cpt. Kask echoed that sentiment, saying, "I'm really glad that I can do this kind of an event with our allies and we can provide them an opportunity to enjoy the southern Estonian beautiful nature that we have over here."

The Estonian FOS is one of many 734th RSG‑managed forward operating sites in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The purpose of these sites is to offer base operation support‑integrator functions to rotational units and partner countries. BOS‑I functions include managing life support, which can encompass housing, food, water, maintenance, contracting and force protection.

Spc. Mandein, who serves in the mayor cell at a FOS in Latvia, said he learned a few things about himself and what it takes to keep going in a challenging reconnaissance event where fatigue is ever present. "Towards the end of it, there were some points where you were running on such little sleep that you kind of misread the map," said Mandein. "I couldn't function at my best. So getting enough rest was really something big for me."

Another important factor, besides incorporating proper rest cycles into the plan, is teamwork. "My advice for the competitors is keep a cool head,” said Rusk. “Listen to your teammates and cooperate. Because cooperation is key in all the tasks that we have prepared for them.”

That cooperation — nurtured at the smallest team or squad level and cultivated upward to the highest echelon — is integral to the V Corps mission of strengthening relationships and improving partnership along the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative.

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