Cross of Honor
July 6, 2009
On October 20, 2008 in the northern Afghan region of Kunduz a suicide bomber blew himself up near a vehicle carrying Henry Lukacz, Jan Berges, Alexander Dietzen and Markus Geist. The explosion killed two German paratroopers as well as five Afghan children. At the risk of their lives the four soldiers, between 28-33 years of age, rescued a seriously wounded soldier and stood by another one trapped inside the burning vehicle.
An appropriate honor
The new Cross of Honor for Bravery, is the military's first such medal since the end of World War II when it stopped awarding the Iron Cross tarnished by its use in Nazi Germany. Some see this as another sign of Germany emerging from its post-World War II diplomatic and military shell since the country's reunification in 1990.
Ulrich Kirsch, the chairman of the German Federal Armed Forces Association (DBwV), which represents the interests of servicemen and women, told public television that the medal was a fitting recognition of the military's increasing role in international missions.
"The soldiers are so close to death and injury and that's not the situation in other jobs... We consider this honor entirely appropriate."
Kirsch dismissed accusations that the re-introduction of a military valor award could lead to a revival of a hero cult as nonsense. A sentiment echoed by Merkel, who said acts of bravery in the armed forces deserved recognition.
The award, intended to acknowledge outstanding valor under exceptional circumstances, comes as Berlin's government remains locked in a battle of words over whether German soldiers are fighting a war in Afghanistan. Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung has repeatedly refused to recognize that German soldiers, who are ostensibly in Afghanistan on a defense and peacekeeping mission, are in fact involved in firefights for several hours at a time.
The debate being fuelled by members of the military clergy and military representatives comes as the soldiers themselves have for more support from the public for what they are actually doing.
The timing of the award ceremony, which was also attended by Jung, could be a step towards clarifying the situation of soldiers in Afghanistan, according to DBwV press officer Wilfried Stolze..
While Stolze avoids the word propaganda, he says that German soldiers are no longer in Afghanistan to build wells and repair infrastructures.
"They are in a very dangerous situation. And, as we have seen, death and injury goes hand in hand with this. And this needs to be explained to the public," he says.
"One shouldn't use the word propaganda but it is perhaps part of the reason [for the timing of the award ceremony]. It is a way to offer some sort of clarity about what we are really doing in Afghanistan, what is happening in the country and the sort of pressure the soldiers are coming under on behalf of their country."
Until today Germany, which currently has just over 8,000 soldiers deployed abroad, including an anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia and a naval mission off the coast of Lebanon, was the only country not to honor its armed forces with a medal of valor.
The Cross of Honor for Bravery was introduced last year for "special valor at risk of physical danger or death" during peacekeeping and other dangerous assignments as a reflection of the expansion of the German military's role in the world and recognition that more soldiers are in the line of fire in global hot spots.
"There has been a change in the way war is being fought"
"This is a new form of war in Afghanistan and so it is a new thing to try to find something that could be a motivation for the soldiers. But the idea of an award has been around for some time and cannot be tied solely to the latest events. German soldiers are working together with many allies in Afghanistan and other nations all have their awards. All countries have a way of recognizing the work their soldiers do and we Germans are no different, We do not need to exempt ourselves from this," Stolze said.
The new medal features a golden Maltese cross with a German eagle at the center, hung on a ribbon with the colors of the German flag - black, red and gold - with double oak leaves. It is an extension of the German army's current range of four decorations, which are given for loyal service and in appreciation of exemplary soldierly execution of duty.
Author: Tanya Wood
Editor: Chuck Penfold