Are the subsequent conscientious objectors, unbeknownst to them, also Bundeswehr veterans? That's exactly what our author wanted to know and received an email.
Don't come back by bike! Bundeswehr in Hammelburg in 1988 Photo: imago
sometimes you can Who will become a millionaire? Not only does he win a big check, but he also suffers a big shock. It was recently asked which organization in Germany suddenly gained millions of members in November 2018. Correct answer: the Bundeswehr, which has issued a decree granting all former veterans honorary veteran status since 1956. Like the American model.
Why shock? Because the mistake of my life, I was there for 15 months: basic military service. Heavy Engineer Battalion. Disgusting. Weakening of dignity. As a reservist, he soon managed to refuse military service, which represented a kind of cleansing of conscience. But hello: are all alumni now officially veterans? Me too? Gross.
Quick online research. Yes, he says, actually all former soldiers, with one exception: if they were dishonorably discharged. That was not me. So: am I being retracted without knowing it?
Consult the Ministry of Defense by email. After three days, an administrative office corporal called again. Ask for the personal identification number. Hello young man, that was over 40 years ago! Alternative service time and location? With that I could, haha: serve. She thanked us and promised to take care of the veteran's badge. About?
“Appreciation for faithful service”
Nothing happened for six weeks, email again. Short answer. See Veteran Badge details. Now I wanted to know what they were trying to sell me: the badge (“A strong bond that connects everyone”) is a small, ugly cross with an eagle in the middle that can be sewn on. It symbolizes “appreciation for faithful service,” as they say. Hello, I have state-certified infidelity.
Finally, the decision: The review of the legal situation by a specialized department had shown, he said, that according to the Conscription Law in the old version (at the time of my refusal) and in the new version, conscientious objection “is accompanied by loss of rank”, therefore I am no longer a reserve private. It means: “Unfortunately I have to inform you that you are not a veteran.” And stubbornly: “You will not be given the veteran badge.”
So there is no forced veteranization after all. He would have filed a lawsuit against him and at the same time widely mobilized the retroactive objector movement of the 1980s, including the public burning of veterans' insignia. Not with us again!