Veterans Affairs committee  Sir, regarding your first question, yes, we have family resource centres. They are driven by the military, and what is very important is that they also have a double hat. One side is male and military, and the other side is female and civilian. This is a most important thing, because only a woman can help a woman solve certain problems that a man could not solve.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much for getting me back on track. We also have some of the same restrictions. It's pretty common in Germany to be married a couple of times--especially our former Chancellor, for example, who was married four times. When you are married the third or fourth time, sir, then your pension is reduced from marriage to marriage.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely, sir. We have the issue that we cut off their relations after they lose their status as a reservist. I think this is one of the biggest disadvantages we have in our system. There is no looking after for them, even if you do it on a voluntary basis with those guys and keep them in the circle of your former reservist soldiers.

Veterans Affairs committee  We don't have that. There is no similar structure.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'd like to thank you very much for this great offer. Sir, I will come back to this, and if you don't mind, I would invite one of the highest-ranking specialists we have in Germany to come over to Canada. If you allow it, he can accompany me on this, so we have a chance to do this.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much, sir.

Veterans Affairs committee  That is after my retirement. During my time when I serve fully, she gets 60% of the income I have today if something happens to me now. She always gets the pension from the income I have now, and since I am now serving with 100%, she gets 60% of the 100% if something were to happen to me.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, that's right, sir.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm sorry for that joke, but we are a bit more open-minded. So, for example, we have a policy that we can drink on missions and can smoke on missions. We do not have as many places as you have where it is forbidden to smoke; we are a bit open-minded and can still smoke in our pubs.

Veterans Affairs committee  To answer your first question, sir, we have 82 million people in Germany. As to the second question, we do PTSD training to recognize the basic symptoms, and we also have a so-called buddy program. We say that everybody has to choose a buddy. The commander also needs a buddy, just as the soldiers below do.

Veterans Affairs committee  Every soldier who dies in mission receives a full government funeral. A government funeral is with all the honours, with the music and everything needed to honour this person and whatever he has done. The coffin is covered with a flag, and the guards stand by shooting and giving the salute.

Veterans Affairs committee  Every family can choose the burial place and what sort of burial they want—whether they want the person burned or put in a coffin.

Veterans Affairs committee  The costs are covered by the government, but only up to a certain amount, which is €3,000.

Veterans Affairs committee  No, we don't have them in Germany. We only have them in the countries where we fought during the Second World War.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's a tough question.