Markus Geist

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Markus Geist (* 1981 in Würzburg ) is a German professional soldier in the Bundeswehr . He and three other Bundeswehr soldiers became publicly known at the end of the 2000s when they brought several injured people to safety during a suicide attack in Afghanistan after a suicide bombing and were later awarded the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor for bravery .

Life

Internal association badge of the LL / LTS in Altenstadt (Upper Bavaria).

2001 Markus Geist received his diploma and then went as a regular soldier (ssl) to the Bundeswehr. He was later taken on as a professional soldier. Since January 2009 he has been employed as an instructor in driver training at the Air Landing and Air Transport School (LL / LTS) in Altenstadt , Upper Bavaria . Geist currently holds the rank of sergeant major .

In 2006, Geist was deployed to the EUFOR RD Congo mission of the European Union in Africa as part of the Bundeswehr's foreign missions. In 2008 he took part in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. When a suicide attack on a German patrol was carried out there on October 20, 2008 near Kunduz , Geist was about 500 meters away from the scene of the attack. During the attack, a Bundeswehr transport vehicle caught fire; two German soldiers and five Afghan children were killed, two other soldiers and one other local child were injured. Despite the danger to his own life from the burning vehicle and exploding ammunition, Geist immediately came to the rescue together with Bundeswehr soldiers Jan Berges , Alexander Dietzen , and Henry Lukács . The four soldiers rescued the injured and recovered the dead.

Orders and decorations

Markus Geist, then still a sergeant major, was awarded the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor for bravery together with his three comrades on July 6, 2009 in the Chancellery by Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung . It was the first four awards of the Cross of Honor, newly created in 2008, which is the highest award of the Bundeswehr.

public perception

Both the suicide attack in October 2008, which resulted in several deaths, and the relief operation, as well as the award of the Bravery Award in July 2009, aroused public interest . There were numerous reports on both events in Germany and in other countries of the world in the mass media , such as on television (including N24 , 3sat ) and radio (including Deutsche Welle ) as well as in newspapers (including Berliner Morgenpost , Berliner Zeitung , Daily Mail , Der Tagesspiegel , Die Welt , Frankfurter Rundschau , Kölnische Rundschau , Mitteldeutsche Zeitung , NWZ , taz , The Daily Telegraph , WAZ ), in magazines (including Stern ) and in online publications (including DerWesten.de , DW-World.de , Focus .de , FR-Online.de , Zeit Online ). Like the other three helpers, Markus Geist was often presented with a brief portrait.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Short portrait of Sergeant Markus Geist . On: website of the Federal Ministry of Defense , as of February 21, 2011; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  2. ^ A b Mathias Heller: Germany's bravest Afghanistan soldiers awarded a cross of honor. Standing still at the Chancellor's reception of the order . In: Berliner Zeitung of July 7, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ a b Merkel and Jung award crosses of honor for bravery . On: website of the Federal Ministry of Defense of July 6, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ Merkel wants debate about the changes in the Bundeswehr  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . TV report in N24 from July 6, 2009, as well as news report on: N24.de ; Retrieved June 7, 2011.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.n24.de  
  5. ↑ Heroes honored. Chancellor awards medal of valor to soldiers . On: 3sat.de , as well as an article in the television magazine Kulturzeit on 3sat from July 6, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. ^ A b Peter Stützle: Bundeswehr. Honor for soldiers and relatives . Radio broadcast on DW-Radio on July 8, 2009, as well as on: DW-World.de ; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  7. ↑ Thorsten Jungholt: Award. Soldiers receive medals for their bravery for the first time . In: Berliner Morgenpost from July 7, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ Allan Hall: German troops get first bravery award since World War Two… even though they are not allowed to fight . In: Daily Mail of July 9, 2009; English, accessed June 7, 2011.
  9. ↑ Merkel demands recognition for soldiers. “We talk too little about stress” . In: Der Tagesspiegel from July 7, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  10. ↑ (dpa / ddp / fas): Bundeswehr. Merkel awards soldiers with medals of bravery . In: Die Welt of July 6, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  11. ^ A b Bernhard Honnigfort: Order of bravery for Bundeswehr soldiers: cross, good . On: FR-Online.de , as well as in: Frankfurter Rundschau from July 7, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  12. ↑ Soldier award . Merkel calls for debate . In: Kölnische Rundschau from July 6, 2009; Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  13. ^ Bernhard Honnigfort: Bundeswehr. A new medal for bravery . In: Mitteldeutsche Zeitung of July 6, 2009; accessed on June 22, 2018.
  14. ↑ A first for the Chancellery. Armed forces. Selfless commitment after suicide attack in Kunduz  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: NWZ of July 7, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.nwzonline.de  
  15. ↑ Ulrike Winkelmann: Cross of Honor for Bravery. Merkel's promise of loyalty . In: taz of July 7, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  16. ↑ Germany awards first bravery medals since Second World War . In: The Daily Telegraph, July 7, 2009; English, accessed June 7, 2011.
  17. ↑ a b Miguel Sanches: "I have to get the boys out" . In: WAZ from July 6, 2009, as well as on: DerWesten.de ; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  18. ↑ (gxs / AP): Bundeswehr. Order of bravery for four German soldiers . On: Focus.de from July 6, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  19. ↑ Katharina Schuler: medal award. Brave in Afghanistan . On: Zeit Online from July 6, 2009; Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  20. ↑ See for example: Mathias Heller: Germany's bravest Afghanistan soldiers awarded with the Cross of Honor. Standing still at the Chancellor's reception of the order . In: Berliner Zeitung of July 7, 2009; each accessed on June 7, 2011.
personal data
SURNAME Spirit, Markus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German professional soldier in the Bundeswehr
DATE OF BIRTH 1981
PLACE OF BIRTH Wurzburg