The municipality of De Wolden will raise the veterans flag every year on the Dutch Veterans Day. Veterans in the municipality are also thinking about how veterans can be more visible at May 4 commemorations.
About a hundred veterans live in De Wolden. Those are people who have been on a mission. This concerns both people who are still active within the Ministry of Defense and ex-servicemen. A number of veterans put out a questionnaire with the municipality. It emerged that veterans feel that there is still too little appreciation and recognition from the municipality.
“It is unknown to them what the municipality does for veterans. Some of the veterans need contact in their own environment,” says De Wolden. “The municipality could do more by enabling initiatives to meet and express its appreciation and recognition to veterans.”
The municipality will bring the veterans who took the initiative for the questionnaire (now a working group) into contact with organizations of May 4 commemorations in the municipality. It was also concluded ‘that a local veterans’ day would suit the needs of veterans in De Wolden’. The municipality therefore wants to organize an afternoon with a formal and informal moment for veterans and their environment.
The veterans’ flag was already hoisted at the town hall in recent years, but now De Wolden has laid down in policy how it ensures recognition and appreciation of veterans in De Wolden and meets the duty of care.
Under the Veterans Act, the municipality is obliged to provide care to veterans. The working group is looking at how this law can be implemented even better. One of the things that the municipality has already arranged is the establishment of a single point of contact. The point of contact is familiar with the laws and regulations surrounding the Veterans Act and must ensure that veterans and their loved ones are helped more quickly with requests for help.