Wegner honors Berlin veterans with flag band on the national veteran day

Wegner honors Berlin veterans with flag band on the national veteran day

On Sunday, June 15, 2025, the first national veteran day takes place in Berlin, which is opened by the Governing Mayor Kai Wegner with a special ceremony. As report , a flag tape is awarded to the medical regiment 1 leadership area. This honor is carried out at 11:00 a.m. in the Blucher barracks, Sakrower Landstraße 100, 14089 Berlin, and represents the highest award that a state government can award a military association.

festive events for the Veteran Day

The National Veteran Day is accompanied by a variety of events across Germany. In Augustdorf a combination event will take place on this day that includes a field service, greetings, networking, music and grilled food. In Euskirchen, a veteran day will be celebrated on June 17, 2025 at the opening of the photo exhibition "Faces of Life", while veteran badges will be awarded in Lippstadt on June 22. These events illustrate the commitment to honor veterans and to give them the recognition that they deserve. Information about the various events can be found on the website for the veteran day, such as described here

Another highlight is the "march of appreciation", which takes place in Duisburg on June 15, as well as a number of honors, services and networking events in cities such as Bad Westernkotten, Lemgo and Mühlheim an der Ruhr. These nationwide activities aim to raise awareness of the performance of the veterans.

The desire for a permanent veteran day

In addition to the national veteran day on June 15th, there are efforts to introduce a nationwide veteran day on April 2. The day is reminiscent of the Bundeswehr's “Black Good Friday” in 2010 when three German soldiers died in a valley attack in Kunduz. Despite the advance of the former Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière in 2012 to introduce a special veteran day, this has been unsuccessful. Information on this initiative can also be found on Change.org .

A veteran is defined as every person who has served with the Bundeswehr. In many countries it is common to honor such former soldiers, and the introduction of a specific holiday would also lead to greater appreciation in Germany.

With the first national veteran day on June 15, 2025 and the planned events across Germany, an important step is taken to recognize the merits of the veterans. It is to be hoped that the initiatives to create a fixed memorial day for veterans in the country will continue to be promoted.