Germany to Honor Dead
February 6, 2007
Such a memorial would reflect Germany's growing role in peacekeeping missions around the world 60 years after the end of World War II.
"The German army and German society as a whole have a duty to honor the memory of the Bundeswehr's dead, because they gave their lives to protect peace and freedom," Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung said.
A spokesman for the defense ministry said the foundation for the publicly accessible memorial would be laid this year. Minister Jung envisions it be erected on the defense ministry's Berlin premises, which he said were "pregnant with history," in an interview with Bild daily.
Four military men, including Colonel Graf von Stauffenberg, who had been involved in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler were executed there on July 20, 1944.
But politicians from the opposition free market liberal FDP and Green parties have objected to the location, arguing that Bundeswehr mandates are decided by parliament, not the ministry, and that as a "parliamentary army" any memorial should be constructed near the Reichstag building, where Germany's Bundestag convenes.
Ordered from on high
They also criticized Jung for not opening up the topic to a broader discussion.
"By closely involving the Bundestag, the defense minister would signal that this commemoration is a shared desire," said FDP party politician Birgit Homburger according to the stern.de Web site. "That would be a strong signal."
A commission was reportedly established in January to collect artists' and architects' proposals for the monument's design. Jung first proposed the idea of such a memorial a year ago.
Germany has about 8,000 soldiers deployed on international missions, including 2,700 in Afghanistan, where 18 of its soldiers have died since 2002, according to defense ministry figures.
A total of 2,600 German soldiers and civilians working for the military have died on active service since 1956, although only 65 were killed on foreign missions, including 39 in combat. The other dead were killed in accidents such as plane crashes.