First National Veteran Day: Berlin honors our soldiers!

First National Veteran Day: Berlin honors our soldiers!

Berlin, Deutschland - Today is June 15, 2025 and all of Germany celebrates the first official veteran day to celebrate centrally around the Reichstag building in Berlin. Deutschlandfunk reports that the Bundestag launched this important day of commemoration last year in order to honor the use and services of our soldiers. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius emphasizes the need to express thanks and recognition for the women and men who take care of our country's safety every day.

The veteran day is to be celebrated around June 15th. This was decided as part of an application, which was accepted by the parliamentary groups SPD, CDU/CSU, Bündnis 90/Die Greens and FDP on April 25, 2024, while the left contained the voice. An important goal of this day of commemoration is to improve the aftercare for soldiers, especially for those who worked in foreign missions, and to make their concerns more visible.

goals and challenges

The Bundestag sees more than just one occasion in the introduction of this day: it is about the appreciation of heroic use both active and former soldiers. In addition to recognition, access to consulting services should also be improved in order to enable all veterans to support barrier -free support. The measures include the reduction of processing times for inquiries to six months and the examination of an inpatient therapy facility for the Bundeswehr.

In this way, the strengthening of the German Hardening Foundation for Veterans and their families is also sought. This illustrates the importance that the Bundestag accompanies this commemoration day: over ten million people have served since the Bundeswehr was founded, and many of them need special support, especially after stressful operations in over 50 countries.

a look into the past

The discussion about the introduction of a veteran day goes back to 2010 when the term “veteran” was controversial within the soldier's associations and political parties. As early as 2011, the then Federal Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière planned its own policy for veterans and their care. Several suggestions followed, but it was only in 2024 that June 15th was set as a fixed date for the Veteran Day. The reason for this date is the awarding of the veteran badge, which was for the first time on June 15, 2019.

The first celebrations took place last year, as early as June 2024 the veteran day was celebrated with a reception in the Bundestag and events in several German cities. The patronage of the first national veteran day has taken over the Bundag President Bärbel BAS, and the preparations aim to organize great celebrations for the coming years in order to make the achievements and the history of our soldiers even more visible.

Now, on June 15, 2025, people in Berlin stand together to thank their soldiers and honor their stories. Even if the way there was rocky, the introduction of the veteran day is an important sign of change for the perception and support of our comrades.