Lower Thirds:
0:02 	Report by Anna Chaika
0:33 	Michael | Master Sergeant
1:46	Michael | Master Sergeant
2:26	Michael | Master Sergeant
3:00 	Daniela | Military spouse
3:38	Michael | Master Sergeant

Script: 

Michael stands in silence at "The Forest of Remembrance" Memorial of the Bundeswehr near Potsdam. The 47-year-old veteran was deployed abroad five times: once in Kosovo, twice in Bosnia and twice in Afghanistan, where he trained Afghan soldiers.  

Today he remembers the comrades who never made it home. 

+++ SOT Michael - Master Sergeant +++ 
"Hier aufgeführt sind ja nun die Namen derer, mit denen wir in den Einsätzen zusammen gelacht haben, zusammen geweint haben, zusammen gekämpft haben. Aber auch zusammen gestorben sind. Und das macht das hier unglaublich wichtig und unglaublich emotional."

TRANSLATION: Here we have listed the names of those with whom during our missions we laughed together, cried together and fought together. And we also died together. That makes it incredibly important and emotional. 

This stela is one of eight here. Bronze raised letters offer something tangible to the comrades and families of the fallen - something they can touch and feel closer to those they have lost. 

No voiceover, 3 seconds pause, visuals of Michael walking through the Memorial. 

Michael is also here to help others understand. He’s been working at this memorial for the past ten years. With his other colleagues they guide visitors through the Memorial: foreign soldiers, veterans, civilians, and schoolchildren. Remembrance has become part of his everyday life.  

The wars didn't leave any visible wounds, but followed him home in the form of PTSD. (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) Being a soldier is not a job, but a calling, he says. 

+++ SOT Michael - Master Sergeant +++ 
"Wenn ich mir diese Frage stelle, bin ich bereit, mein höchstes Gut einzusetzen, mein eigenes Leben, um den Auftrag durchzusetzen, das Leben meiner Kameraden zu schützen oder mein eigenes Leben zu schützen. Wenn ich diese Frage mit Ja beantworten kann, dann kann ich auch Soldat werden."

TRANSLATION: By asking yourself this question, "am I willing to give everything, even my own life, to carry out the mission, to protect my comrades, or to defend myself?" If I can answer this question with yes, then I can become a soldier.

Germany has about 10 million veterans. The term "veteran" here covers all members of the military whether in active service or honorably discharged. It also includes civilian personnel. 

For decades the topic of acceptance and pride in having a strong military was a sensitive, sometimes even taboo subject in Germany because of the country's past role as an aggressor in Europe. (pictures!!!) 

Since Russia's full-scale invasion in Ukraine the situation has begun to change leading to what former Chancellor Olaf Scholz called a "Zeitenwende", or turning point. Peace in Europe has become fragile again. 

With the modernization of the Bundeswehr and the increase in military spending, the attitude of Germans toward the military also started changing. After the Bundestag vote in 2024, this year Germany will officially mark Veterans’ Day nationwide for the first time. 

+++ SOT Michael - Master Sergeant +++ 
"Man kann ja das Veteranen-Abzeichen beantragen als äußerliches Zeichen, dass man gedient hat. Und ich persönlich wünsche mir, dass mehr Menschen sich das anstecken und damit auch rumrennen, weil es keine Schande sein darf, dass man die Hand hebt und sagt "Ja, ich habe meinem Land gedient, ich habe meinem Land etwas zurückgegeben."

TRANSLATION: One can apply for the veteran's badge as an official symbol that one has served. And I personally wish that more people would wear it because it shouldn't be a disgrace to raise your hand and say "Yes, I served my country, I gave something back."

Transition to visuals of Michael and his wife Daniela walking hand in hand. 

At home Michael had what many can’t take for granted - strong support. His wife, Daniela. 

+++SOT Daniela+++ 
"Ich war sehr einsam, weil mit meinen Ängsten und mit dem, was ich, was wir erlebt haben, während der Zeit ich auch zu niemand anderes gehen konnte. Es gibt viele Menschen, die können es nicht nachvollziehen. Die haben kein Interesse dafür auch mal nachzufragen. Also ich habe mich sehr alleingelassen gefühlt."

TRANSLATION: I was very lonely because I couldn't turn to anyone else with my fears and what we experienced during that time. Many people can't understand it. And they have no interest in asking questions. So I felt very much abandoned.  

But they made it, she is here. And so is he.  

After nearly 19 years of marriage - she says it’s communication that kept them together. 

+++SOT Daniela+++ 
"Ich bin dankbar, dass mein Mann noch lebt und wir uns noch haben."

TRANSLATION: I am grateful that my husband is still alive and that we still have each other. 

+++ SOT Michael - Master Sergeant +++ 
"Und das ist aufgrund unseres Berufsrisikos, was wir haben, manchmal eine hohe Kunst, das aushalten zu können, aushalten zu müssen. Aber Familie steht, man steht da ganz oben, weil im Endeffekt kämpft man ja auch für die Familie, dass man nach Hause kommt, zur Familie."

TRANSLATION: Because of the risks that come with our job, it takes a certain strength, sometimes even an art, just to endure it. But family is always a priority. In the end, that is what you are fighting for to come home. To your family. 

For them, Veterans' Day is an opportunity to remind each other and everyone around them that it is important not only to honor those who fell or still serve, but also to be grateful for those who stood by them along the way. 

Visuals of them holding hands as they are walking

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