2008 German National Day of Mourning
Spc. Vincent Holtzman, from the U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern's Directorate of Human Resources and Senior Airman Brian Lapiska, from the 86th Airlift Wing’s 1st Combat Communications Squadron present the Kaiserslautern military community's wreath during the German National Day of Mourning ceremony Sunday at the Soldiers' Monument in the Kaiserslautern Cemetery. More than 150 people from several different nationalities attended the ceremony. The National Day of Mourning or Volkstrauertag is a public holiday in Germany that is observed two Sundays before the first Advent - the Sunday that is in the period from Nov. 13 to 19. This German holiday is similar to the United States' "Veteran's Day," except that it commemorates all victims who died during wars. It was first observed in Germany in 1952. The city of Kaiserslautern and the German Association of War Graves have held the Volkstrauertag wreath-laying ceremony at the Soldiers’ Monument in the Kaiserslautern Cemetery for 25 years. The ceremony usually consists of about 10 wreath presentations, one of which is from the Kaiserslautern military community where an Airman and Soldier will present the wreath and alongside an Air Force and Army officers will render a salute. The U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern has participated in this ceremony since it was established in 1992. With two eternal flames, the Soldiers’ Monument watches over military graves from World War I and World War II. U.S. Army photo by Christine June, USAG Kaiserslautern.