Meigs receives highest German honor
Photos by Arthur McQueen,
USAREUR Public Affairs Office
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Generalleutnant Gert Gudera, ranking officer of the German army, presents U.S. Army Europe Commanding General Montgomery C. Meigs with the
"Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande mit Stern" or National Service Cross on Ribbon with Star. Gudera praised Meigs for his leadership and promotion of friendship between Germans and Americans during his five tours in Germany.
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Flanked by torch-bearing German soldiers, Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs and German Army Generalleutnant Gert Gudera stand at attention during the German army's Grand Tattoo (Grosser Zapfenstreich) held in Meigs' honor Nov. 26.
The Grand Tattoo is a solemn military ceremony dating back to 1596 as a marking of retreat for German soldiers to their barracks. It has been performed in its present form since 1838, and is the highest honor that can be bestowed on an individual by the German military.
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German soldiers march onto the Campbell Barracks parade field for the Grosser Zapfenstreich, bidding farewell to U.S. Army Europe Commanding General Montgomery C. Meigs. The device on the right is a "schellenbaum" or bell-tree, and is played during portions of the music performed as part of the Grand Tattoo.
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At the end of the Grossen Zapfenstreich (Grand Tattoo) held in honor of outgoing U.S. Army Europe Commanding General Montgomery C. Meigs, the German soldiers of the Federal Ministry of Defense Guard Battalion pass in review.
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| German soldiers from the German Federal Ministry of Defense Guard Battalion march onto the Campbell Barracks parade field for the Grosser Zapfenstreich (Grand Tattoo) bidding farewell to U.S. Army Europe Commanding General Montgomery C.
Meigs. |
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