Press
The traffic light factions and the Union want to honor soldiers with a day of honor. They ward off reservations with unusual unity.
Berlin – The term seems a bit out of date and is not particularly popular in Germany for historical reasons: “veteran” or, more precisely, “war veteran”. There are critical analyzes of the question of who should be called that. Some quote former Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU), who once said that “what unites all veterans, whether they served in foreign missions, in the Cold War or in basic operations, is that they fought for peace and freedom in the uniform of the Bundeswehr have”.
Since the Bundeswehr was founded, over ten million people have served
The government factions of the SPD, Greens and FDP have now agreed with the Union faction to honor veterans with their own day. According to a joint motion that the Bundestag will vote on on Thursday (April 25), June 15th should be declared a national day of honor. This June 15th should take place “publicly and visibly in the middle of society and centrally in Berlin,” as the application text says. In addition, the federal government is being called upon to increase the therapy offerings for soldiers injured in war.
The motion reminds us of how many Germans have served in the Bundeswehr since it was founded. “We have a total of ten million veterans in Germany,” said SPD defense politician Johannes Arlt at a press conference in Berlin. Arlt explained: “Our definition of veteran includes all soldiers who are serving or have served and have served in the Bundeswehr for at least six months.” This definition is “the broadest within NATO.”
Defense Minister Pistorius also speaks out in favor of a veteran culture
Germany has already argued several times about the introduction of a Veterans Day. The then Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière (CDU) had already brought him into discussion in 2012. “Now a window has opened,” says CDU politician Kerstin Vieregge. At the “Invictus Games” 2023 in Düsseldorf – a sports festival for military personnel injured in action – “the call for a national Veterans Day has become louder again”. The Union heard this and brought it to parliament, said Vieregge. “For us, across the Democratic Party, it’s about appreciation for our veterans.”
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has already praised the efforts of the Bundestag factions involved. “Other nations have a completely different understanding of veterans – a way of dealing with those who have been injured while serving their country,” Pistorius said. “It’s just growing in Germany right now.” The discussion about the introduction of a Veterans Day “I think it’s very good,” he added.
“The only people who valued me were my family and my soldiers”
The parliamentary review of the Afghanistan mission has also opened the window. A few weeks ago there was a lively discussion in the Bundestag with former emergency services about the results of the commitment in the Hindu Kush. When asked whether he had ever personally experienced anything like appreciation for his work, a lieutenant colonel in the Bundeswehr responded curtly: “The only people who appreciated me were my family and my soldiers who were deployed with me.”
These words obviously still ring in Christian Sauter’s ears. Against the backdrop of the Afghanistan mission, the introduction of a day of honor is “a long overdue sign of appreciation for the Bundeswehr,” says the FDP politician. He envisions Veterans Day as a “family day.” The CDU politician Vieregge even speaks of a “folk festival” that should be carried far beyond the capital into the country.
The Association of German Military Veterans reacts with tempered euphoria
Criticism that with the extraordinary non-partisan agreement possibly a certain hero worship could come with it, fight back in view of the Turning point also the Greens. “Veterans Day is not intended for the military,” emphasizes Representative Merle Spellerberg. “This day should be for the people – for the women and men who served in the Bundeswehr.” It shouldn’t be about heroization or even about recruiting. “People are the focus.”
The chairman of the Association of German Veterans, Bernhard Drescher, had previously reacted with tempered euphoria. The introduction of the day of honor is initially just “a visible sign of the state’s solidarity towards its veterans”. However, Drescher warned against turning the day into an alibi event.
How the country deals with those who did their military service in the GDR's National People's Army (NVA) has not yet been clarified. “There were a lot of letters about this,” says SPD politician Arlt, a career officer in the Air Force. “That is a question we still need to discuss.”
#Large #coalition #calls #Veterans #Day #imagine #folk #festival