Germany holds first national veterans’ day since World War II

On Sunday, June 15, Germany held its first celebration for military veterans since the Second World War.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius joined current and former soldiers and members of the public for events across the country, including a “veterans’ village” constructed in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin.

This marks a historic shift in a country where anything that could be seen as a “display of militarism” has been considered taboo for decades.

The new commemoration, established by a parliamentary resolution passed last year, is designed to “express gratitude, appreciation, and respect” for the Bundeswehr, Germany’s federal army.

The German Bundestag emphasized that the day also aims to deepen the bond between the military and the German people. At the ceremony in Berlin, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner of the CDU described the Bundeswehr as a “parliamentary army,” stating that this places a special responsibility on lawmakers.

She also acknowledged the demanding and often stressful nature of military service, stressing the need to provide soldiers with appropriate support.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz also stated on the social media platform X, “The Bundeswehr is an integral part of our society,” adding that those who serve or have served in the military deserve widespread appreciation, respect, and recognition.

“There won’t be tanks and fighter jets. We’re not there yet. But we are taking a really good first step,” Lieutenant Colonel Michael Krause, head of the newly established national veterans’ office, told the Financial Times (FT), comparing it to major military events in other countries.

Germany is channeling money and resources into its armed forces in response to NATO’s concerns about “Russian aggression.” The new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has pledged to make Germany’s military the “strongest conventional army in Europe.”

Sarah Brockmeier-Large from the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt said that the fact politicians finally agreed to hold a veterans’ day is “a symbol of a growing appreciation in German society that we need functioning armed forces and that soldiers provide a vital public service.”

Berlin’s role in two world wars created a deep-seated skepticism toward military power after 1945, particularly in West Germany, leading to the emergence of a strong pacifist movement.

For decades, the term “veteran” was mostly associated with those who fought in Adolf Hitler’s Wehrmacht, not with those who served in the Bundeswehr, which was founded in 1955 and placed under strict parliamentary control.

“We couldn’t be proud of our old wars. That’s why in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, there was no veteran culture in the German Bundeswehr,” said Patrick Sensburg, president of the German reservists’ association.

During the Cold War, when Germany was divided, the Bundeswehr only participated in operations outside NATO territory to assist with natural disasters.

After “reunification” in 1990, the National People’s Army of the German Democratic Republic was disbanded, and a small number of its soldiers joined the Bundeswehr.

The newly unified army soon began participating in combat operations abroad. German warplanes helped bomb the former Yugoslavia during the NATO-led Kosovo mission in 1999.

But the most significant event for the veterans’ movement was the participation of 93,000 German soldiers in the US-led war in Afghanistan over nearly 20 years. Initially declared a German peacekeeping mission, it evolved into a combat operation as Bundeswehr troops fought the Taliban.

A total of 59 German soldiers were killed in the conflict, which also claimed the lives of about 3,000 American and allied soldiers and more than 100,000 Afghan civilians.

Those who served in Afghanistan, including many who returned home with physical and psychological wounds, initiated a grassroots movement to establish a veterans’ day, inspired by events like Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand, Armed Forces Day in Great Britain, or Veterans Day in the US.

In 2012, an attempt by then-defense minister Thomas de Maizière to introduce the idea failed due to widespread political opposition.

“I think it was too early,” said military historian Sönke Neitzel, noting that at the time, Germany’s combat operations in Afghanistan were still seen as something that “should never have happened.”

But the pressure from former soldiers and the associations established to care for them continued.

Last year, German lawmakers approved a new plan to celebrate veterans “publicly and visibly” every year on June 15. Defense Minister Pistorius called it a “strong, important, and, yes, overdue sign of appreciation and gratitude.”

There is still opposition to the idea. Die Linke (The Left Party), which received 9% of the vote in the February parliamentary elections, organized an event in Berlin on Sunday titled, “We will not celebrate your wars.”

The party argued that the new veterans’ day was designed to “make war acceptable” and create “cannon fodder” for the German armed forces, at a time when military leaders are warning they need to recruit tens of thousands of additional soldiers in the coming years.

In the eastern states, formerly part of the German Democratic Republic, there is widespread opposition to Germany being one of Ukraine’s largest arms suppliers, partly due to the region’s historical ties with Russia.

But Katja Hoyer, a historian and author of the book Beyond the Wall: East Germany 1949-1990, argued that East Germans, who are disproportionately represented in the lower ranks of the Bundeswehr, still show broad support for the military and those who have served in it.

“The idea of rearming and strengthening the Bundeswehr is not a problem for many East Germans. There is a difference between the attitude towards the military in general and the attitude towards this conflict [in Ukraine],” she said.

The establishment of an annual event has been welcomed by veterans, although some remain cautious.

Thorsten Gärtner, a senior sergeant in the Bundeswehr who served five tours in Afghanistan and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, said he still does not always feel comfortable wearing his uniform on public transport in Berlin.

“I hope that one day it will be like in other countries, like the US, with an ID card for veterans and a 10% discount everywhere. I doubt that will happen. It’s not yet accepted. It will take a very long time,” Gärtner said.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry of the United Kingdom also released a video message in German to commemorate Germany’s first Veterans’ Day.

In his message, the Duke of Sussex wore various ceremonial medals, including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Golden Jubilee Medal, the Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Beginning his message in fluent German, the prince greeted viewers with “Guten Tag Deutschland” (Good Day Germany) before switching to English.

Prince Harry claimed it was a “great honor” to be tasked with delivering a message to the Germans on their inaugural Veterans’ Day. He said, “The warmth, enthusiasm, and unwavering support shown by the German people to our global community of wounded soldiers was truly impressive. You have certainly delivered on your promise to create a home of respect.”

Prince Harry praised the strength and resilience of veterans, describing them as “living testaments to resilience and moral courage.”

“Today, let us together renew our commitment to serve one another, to protect the freedoms that define who we are, for the enduring promise of peace, dignity, and democracy,” he added.