Many soldiers in Germany miss recognition for their achievements. A Veterans Day in June should ensure greater appreciation. There is broad political support for the project.
The Bundeswehr has existed for almost 70 years, and German soldiers have been deployed abroad for more than 30 years. But many people miss real recognition for it.
For example, Wolf Gregis, who was an officer in Afghanistan himself: “For me, the highlight of the disregard was actually the non-welcome on June 30, 2021, when the last German contingent returned from Afghanistan, which no one noticed.”
Thinking has changed
For a long time, the military was often suppressed in public, often with reference to German history. In the meantime, thinking has changed, probably also due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The SPD politician Johannes Arlt, himself an officer in the Air Force, believes the introduction of a “Veterans Day” is long overdue: “The basic idea is to celebrate veterans, i.e. everyone who has served their country, whether as a military conscript or on deployment abroad to make it more visible in society, to move to the center.”
Around ten million veterans
The Bundeswehr’s concept of veterans goes far: it refers to all around ten million men and women who have ever been or are still in uniform in the Bundeswehr. Not just the around 500,000 soldiers who have been deployed abroad so far.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius recently recalled that many risk their health or even their lives – and that this is not sufficiently appreciated. “Other nations have a completely different understanding of veterans, that’s what we call it. A way of dealing with those who have been injured or suffered other injuries while serving their country.” This is currently growing in Germany.
Broad support in politics
The support extends from the Defense Minister to the Federal Chancellor, across the government factions SPD, Greens and FDP and right up to the Union.
The CDU defense politician Kerstin Vieregge is pleased that after long discussions there is a joint motion in the Bundestag: “It just shows that the broad spectrum of society really supports the veterans, that now is really a moment where we can increase the visibility of the veterans Want to promote veterans.”
Veterans Day planned for the summer
For this visibility, June 15th should be designated as National Veterans Day. There is supposed to be a big event in Berlin on the weekend before or after every year. As a complement to Remembrance Day, which only commemorates the war dead – deliberately placed in the summer.
“More picnics and bands in the Tiergarten than gray gloves and drizzle in November,” is how SPD politician Johannes Arlt imagines Veterans Day in Berlin. Smaller events will also be held across Germany starting next year.
Symbolic recognition is one thing. Soldiers who were injured and traumatized in action should also receive more concrete help. And not just them: “Above all, we want families who are often affected, who often become ill because of the illness of their father, their mother, their relative, to also receive care from the Bundeswehr,” says Arlt.
Veteran hopes for more awareness
More support, more appreciation, more recognition is what Afghanistan veteran Wolf Gregis is now hoping for: “We deployment veterans are the ones who ultimately represented and implemented German security and foreign policy over the last few meters.” To do this you simply need to be aware that none of this is “for free”.
An awareness that the traffic light government and the Union also want to strengthen with the new Veterans Day.
Markus Sambale, ARD Berlin, tagesschau, April 25, 2024 9:25 a.m