Germany's parliament has voted in favour of introducing a national Veterans Day on June 15 each year, with a large majority of lawmakers backing the proposal.
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius described Veterans' Day as a strong, important and overdue sign of appreciation for soldiers who have served the country.
"It is about recognizing those who are ultimately prepared to give their utmost for others and who risk life and limb for our country," Pistorious, a centre-left Social Democrat (SPD), said during debate on the measure.
The conservative opposition CDU/CSU bloc supported the measure, which was proposed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition government.
Veterans' Day is intended to send a visible signal of appreciation and attention to former members of the Bundeswehr, as Germany's military is known, and also strengthen efforts to provide better social care.
"A national day for veterans can create an appropriate framework for recognizing and thanking them for their special achievements as well as a place for exchange between them, their families, the Bundeswehr, society and politics," the motion states.
The question of who should be considered a veteran has been the subject of debate in recent years, as soldiers who have been deployed abroad or even been involved in combat have different needs to those who served in the armed forces during the Cold War.
The Bundeswehr currently considers veterans to be any person who is in active service as a soldier or has retired honourably.
Around 10 million Germans have done military service or were professional or regular soldiers, and around 500,000 men and women were deployed abroad.
