Bulgarians, U.S. Marines compete in “strong man” event with historical significance

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa
Story by Cpl. Immanuel Johnson

Date: 05.15.2016
Posted: 05.18.2016 08:53
News ID: 198437
Bulgarians, U.S. Marines compete in “strong man” event with historical significance

SLIVEN, Bulgaria (May 15, 2016) – Local Bulgarians shared a piece of their history with U.S. Marines, who participated in the first festival “Haiduk gathering” and competed alongside Bulgarian nationals for a historical reenactment festival.

“Today was an event in the honor of Hadji Dimitar, born in the city of Sliven. He is a famous Bulgarian revolutionary who fought against the Ottomans and this event is in honor of his legacy,” said Capt. Kevin R. Stuart, the Civil Affairs team commander for BSRF. “All the events in the festival were modeled after his actions in the regions.”

This is the first year that BSRF Marines have participated in the competitive festival.

Hadji Dimitar climbed the mountain with 43 liters of wine (95 pounds) for the detachment to drink because he was the strongest.

The day began with a hike up a mountain carrying a wine-sack filled with water weighing 95 pounds. Wrestling, knife throwing, boulder tossing and a run were the additional events for the festival.

“It is an honor to participate in this sort of event where the history of a country that we are working with as partners, are happy to welcome Marines as members of the community to honor their legacy and share with them that we also come from a culture of warriors,” said Stuart.

“This event helps build that partnership and further fosters our relationship not only with [military] exercises being conducted with the Bulgarian military, but also with the community of Sliven to connect with their culture and heritage,” said Stuart. “I see this as being a great opportunity for future engagements, connecting to the community, and building relationships. I think we will build on this event for future events and possibly future rotations.”