Interestingly enough, when the American Fighter Aces Assn still had living members in sufficient numbers to have an annual meeting, pilots from "the other side" were invited and were welcomed. As one leading American ace told me once, "during the war, most of us felt we had more in common with the guys we were fighting than we did with the other people on our side." I've also seen American pilot veterans of the Indochina Wars become friends with the pilots of the Vietnam Peoples Air Force - they've even gone to each others homes and met. When I found that out, as a veteran of that war, I was really happy to know it was going on. Indeed other American veterans of the war have visited Vietnam and met the survivors of those with whom they fought. Friendships have formed, based on mutual respect for each other.
I'd think that the Bundeswehr vets and the NVA vets should be able to get together on the same basis. They have a big thing to celebrate - that in fact they never fought each other.
The West German politicians need to consider that they *really* need to find a way to promote this, and to include NVA vets, if they are at all serious about really making Germany one again. We managed to have Union and Confederate soldiers meet at events after the Civil War, where they really were trying to kill each other.
That’s really interesting. Quite heartening to see that kind of approach, one which acknowledges wars which have happened but seeks reconciliation afterwards. After all, wars are declared by our ‘rulers’ but fought by ordinary people, who may often have more in common with their ‘enemy’ soldiers than with the people who rule over them.
It seems very unfair to exclude those who served in the NVA. As an ex-soldier much of the value of these events lies in recalling the comradeship of those who served with you. That need must be just as acute amongst NVA veterans as those who served in the Bundeswher.
Thanks Katja this answers all the questions I had following receipt of a letter from the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge which I mistranslated. It’s a bit cheeky of Die Linke to complain of a militaristic society given their antecedents.
In Britain we mark 11/11 and/or the nearest Sunday for Remembrance - of war dead.
Armed Forces Day - for serving military - is a recent innovation, held on the last Saturday in June.
In the past 25yrs Merchant Navy Day was instigated on 3rd September. The government having shamefully neglected these men for 65yrs.
Other ‘days’ are marked as and when significant anniversaries arise.
The Royal British Legion was established post-WWI to mark sacrifice and help survivors and families. There were RBL and ‘war memorial’ clubs all over the country.
No longer. These days, the RBL is dying on its feet - perhaps because of memory fade, perhaps because it has morphed into a grasping ‘big charity’ and as such has embraced wokery.
Veterans prefer their own associations - ship, corps, regiment or squadron.
The fact that they exist is because, post-WWII, British forces were constantly deployed in combat: Palestine, Malaya, Korea, Kenya, Cyprus, Indonesia, Aden, Northern Ireland, Falklands, Gulf, Afghanistan and others I have probably omitted - and I am sure we have ‘special forces’ deployed in Ukraine.
British soldiers continued to die in service somewhere around the world every year - except 1968 I believe.
I am sure that the instincts of the German soldier who believed that a ‘military day’ was not appropriate because German forces have not seen combat, are correct. Merz is pulling a political stunt.
Speaking of which - the British military still matters to the British people - even though the British government continues to treat them like criminals for following the orders of the British government in the 1970s and 1980s.
Another reason to hate Keir Starmer and other obscenely crooked lawyers like his friend Hermer.
Very much an Americanism „ Veterans Day „ our mob in the uk were always known as EX army or navy or RAF , collectively better known as ex services , but that is a tricky one with the NVA and as you say the political class didn’t give that any thought 🤦🏻♂️
Interestingly enough, when the American Fighter Aces Assn still had living members in sufficient numbers to have an annual meeting, pilots from "the other side" were invited and were welcomed. As one leading American ace told me once, "during the war, most of us felt we had more in common with the guys we were fighting than we did with the other people on our side." I've also seen American pilot veterans of the Indochina Wars become friends with the pilots of the Vietnam Peoples Air Force - they've even gone to each others homes and met. When I found that out, as a veteran of that war, I was really happy to know it was going on. Indeed other American veterans of the war have visited Vietnam and met the survivors of those with whom they fought. Friendships have formed, based on mutual respect for each other.
I'd think that the Bundeswehr vets and the NVA vets should be able to get together on the same basis. They have a big thing to celebrate - that in fact they never fought each other.
The West German politicians need to consider that they *really* need to find a way to promote this, and to include NVA vets, if they are at all serious about really making Germany one again. We managed to have Union and Confederate soldiers meet at events after the Civil War, where they really were trying to kill each other.
That’s really interesting. Quite heartening to see that kind of approach, one which acknowledges wars which have happened but seeks reconciliation afterwards. After all, wars are declared by our ‘rulers’ but fought by ordinary people, who may often have more in common with their ‘enemy’ soldiers than with the people who rule over them.
It seems very unfair to exclude those who served in the NVA. As an ex-soldier much of the value of these events lies in recalling the comradeship of those who served with you. That need must be just as acute amongst NVA veterans as those who served in the Bundeswher.
May take awhile, but good to see this. Hope Germany can come together for its future.
Thanks Katja this answers all the questions I had following receipt of a letter from the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge which I mistranslated. It’s a bit cheeky of Die Linke to complain of a militaristic society given their antecedents.
In Britain we mark 11/11 and/or the nearest Sunday for Remembrance - of war dead.
Armed Forces Day - for serving military - is a recent innovation, held on the last Saturday in June.
In the past 25yrs Merchant Navy Day was instigated on 3rd September. The government having shamefully neglected these men for 65yrs.
Other ‘days’ are marked as and when significant anniversaries arise.
The Royal British Legion was established post-WWI to mark sacrifice and help survivors and families. There were RBL and ‘war memorial’ clubs all over the country.
No longer. These days, the RBL is dying on its feet - perhaps because of memory fade, perhaps because it has morphed into a grasping ‘big charity’ and as such has embraced wokery.
Veterans prefer their own associations - ship, corps, regiment or squadron.
The fact that they exist is because, post-WWII, British forces were constantly deployed in combat: Palestine, Malaya, Korea, Kenya, Cyprus, Indonesia, Aden, Northern Ireland, Falklands, Gulf, Afghanistan and others I have probably omitted - and I am sure we have ‘special forces’ deployed in Ukraine.
British soldiers continued to die in service somewhere around the world every year - except 1968 I believe.
I am sure that the instincts of the German soldier who believed that a ‘military day’ was not appropriate because German forces have not seen combat, are correct. Merz is pulling a political stunt.
Speaking of which - the British military still matters to the British people - even though the British government continues to treat them like criminals for following the orders of the British government in the 1970s and 1980s.
Another reason to hate Keir Starmer and other obscenely crooked lawyers like his friend Hermer.
Very much an Americanism „ Veterans Day „ our mob in the uk were always known as EX army or navy or RAF , collectively better known as ex services , but that is a tricky one with the NVA and as you say the political class didn’t give that any thought 🤦🏻♂️