The time has finally come. On 15 June 2025, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner will open the central ceremony for the 1st Veterans' Day at the Reichstag building in Berlin.
In the late afternoon, Bryan Adams will give a tour of his photo exhibition in the Reichstag building before Defence Minister Boris Pistorius presents veterans' badges in the early evening. It is diversity, humanity and solidarity that make veterans in Germany so special and for which the 1st National Veterans Day sets an example.
On 25 April 2024, the Bundestag decided by a large majority to make Remembrance Day an annual date in order to express comprehensive appreciation for veterans. If Veterans' Day falls on a working day, it should take place on a weekend before or after.
Veterans' badge of the Bundeswehr. Photo: Bundeswehr/Torsten Kraatz
A veteran of the Bundeswehr is a person who is in active service as a soldier in the Bundeswehr or who has retired from this service with honour. According to the study, there are around ten million veterans in Germany.
The sometimes conflicting, almost irreconcilable positions between supporters and opponents of a Veterans' Day show that an objective discussion was and is difficult to conduct. It is not about the militarisation of society, but about respect for all active and former soldiers. Especially towards the fallen and wounded, because it is the elected members of parliament and the government who deploy soldiers. And that is why Bundestag President Julia Klöckner is right when she says that our veterans deserve the support, recognition and respect of us all.
If you would also like to take part in Veterans' Day, you can see all the events in your region under the link.
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It is hard to bear that there are people in Germany who do not want to or cannot pay the necessary respect to those who have given their lives for Germany or who have been seriously injured in action. All those who have served in the Bundeswehr have earned this respect. Not everyone has to support the Bundeswehr, but they should show the members of the Bundeswehr the same respect as members of the Bundeswehr show those who are against the Bundeswehr.