The man behind the march: Former airman keeps US troops stepping at Nijmegen

NIJMEGEN, Netherlands — For more than a decade, one man quietly risked financial ruin so U.S. service members could know what it’s like to take part in the world’s largest multiday walking event.

“Mike Walley saved Nijmegen for the U.S.,” said Army Capt. Christopher Bulger, president of the American military delegation at the international Nijmegen marches. 

Walley’s relationship with the event began in 1981, when he completed the marches while stationed at a nearby Air Force base.

Now 72, he moved back to the Netherlands in 2015, years after retiring from the Air Force at the rank of technical sergeant, and returned to the four-day trek the following year to participate once again. 

The annual march (pronounced “nigh-Megan”) draws tens of thousands of participants to the Netherlands, including military teams from around the world that cover roughly 100 miles in uniform.

For U.S. troops stationed in Europe, it’s become a coveted chance to test themselves alongside allies and experience a tradition dating back more than a century.

Before Walley assumed full responsibility for the U.S. delegation in 2018, it had just 65 registration slots available. He quickly expanded the contingent, first doubling the number of registrations before increasing it to 350 and eventually nearly 600. 

But that growth came with significant financial risk, as Walley had to purchase every registration, lodging reservation, patch, T-shirt and other supplies for the delegation months in advance.

“I was told I was crazy,” Walley told Stars and Stripes on Friday.

Michael Walley, a 73-year-old retired Air Force technical sergeant, poses for a portrait during the international Nijmegen marches in the Netherlands, July 2026. Walley has spent more than a decade volunteering his time and personal finances to open the march to more U.S. service members. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)

Unlike other major national contingents, the American delegation receives no formal government sponsorship, leaving Walley and a small team of volunteers responsible for the U.S. marchers’ experience. 

Walley, his wife and a small group of friends coordinated nearly every aspect of the week, ensuring marchers had a place to sleep at the camp, received meals at rest stops and had medical support and transportation. 

“If the event had failed, (Walley) would’ve been out hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Bulger said.

Participation grew with Walley’s help, but eventually the small group of volunteers could no longer handle the ballooning size of the American presence. 

In 2018, Walley worked with Army legal teams to authorize combat medics in Europe to regard the event as a real-world casualty response exercise. 

While the march was on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, Walley worked with senior military officials at U.S. European Command to secure broader institutional support for the delegation. Those efforts ultimately were unsuccessful.

“(Walley) told me that the Dutch organizers were unhappy with the way that the U.S. military manages our participation and that they required a uniformed member whose appointed duty was Nijmegen coordination,” Bulger said.

Walley turned to Bulger, a returning marcher, who assumed the formal role of U.S. delegation president in 2023, allowing Walley to step back and continue volunteering as a liaison support officer.

A name tape reading “Walley” is seen on a uniform sleeve during the international Nijmegen marches in the Netherlands, July 2026. Michael Walley, a 73- year-old retired Air Force technical sergeant, has spent more than a decade volunteering his time and money to open the march to more U.S. service members. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes)

Despite the challenges, the event’s reputation has grown among U.S. service members with Walley’s help. This year, 2,000 U.S. service members applied to participate, but only 500 spots were available. 

“It was amazing the number of people that said this was the best experience they had during their entire military career,” Walley said.

Bulger and Walley hope to work with military commands and event organizers to increase the U.S. allocation and continue seeking formal government support.

“The U.S. is the largest NATO country, and therefore we need to have a presence,” Walley said.

“It’d be really nice if we could have somebody wearing a star or two stars doing it with our troops because what it does for morale. And also the understanding of the people that you’re working with ... is really interesting,” he added.

Even with his reduced role, Walley doesn’t plan to stop volunteering his time and resources anytime soon. 

“You have to be here to experience it and see why this is worth it,” he said. “I’ll do it as long as I can. We are a family.”