Germany still has an odd relationship to anything military, because of it’s Nazi past. Germany’s Bundeswehr is finally an active army again - supporting NATO and the UN in peace missions. It took Germany over 50 years to allow military involvement OUTSIDE of Germany.

The Bundeswehr is more and more becoming a professional army - and now that bullets are flying again the military leadership would like to have the same gadgets and gimmicks all other armies have: medals.

There are already some medals, but these are campaign medals which a soldier gets automatically - if he has been brave or not. So the German Generals would like to reintroduce the Iron Cross that has been the medal for valor for a long time.

But because it smacks of militarism and Nazis our politicians go bonkers and refuse that little piece of metal. Sometimes political correctness is simply idiotic. Germany needs to accept it’s bad spots, but also reintegrate the military in a normal and positive way into society. The least thing you can do for young man brave enough to risk their necks for everybody is to give them a nice medal to honor their achievements …