Association of Former Fighters

Association of Former Fighters
Name	Association of Former Fighters
Type	Nonprofit association
Founded	1946
Headquarters	Brussels
Region served	International
Leader title	President

Association of Former Fighters The Association of Former Fighters is an international veterans' organization founded in the aftermath of the Second World War to represent former combatants from multiple conflicts, coordinate commemorations, and advocate for veterans' welfare. It has engaged with political bodies, humanitarian agencies, and cultural institutions across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and has been associated with numerous public ceremonies, legal claims, and publications. The organization has maintained links to national veterans' groups, intergovernmental bodies, and memory institutions.

History

The Association traces roots to post-World War II veterans' networks that emerged alongside groups such as Royal British Legion, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans, while drawing inspiration from earlier bodies like Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts and Grand Army of the Republic. Founders included former officers who had served in the Western Front, the Eastern Front (World War II), and the Pacific War, and who had participated in events like the Nuremberg Trials and the Yalta Conference. Early decades saw cooperation with the League of Nations' successor, the United Nations, as well as with the Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross on issues stemming from the Geneva Conventions (1949). During the Cold War period the Association navigated relations with bodies such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Warsaw Pact, and national ministries associated with veterans' affairs in France, United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Germany. The Association engaged in commemorative diplomacy at sites like Normandy, Amiens, Stalingrad, Iwo Jima, and Monte Cassino. In later decades it expanded membership to veterans of conflicts including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Gulf War (1990–1991), the Bosnian War, and operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. It has published accounts alongside institutions such as the Imperial War Museums, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Australian War Memorial.

Mission and Objectives

The Association states objectives to preserve the memory of service in battles like the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Bulge, and the Battle of Kursk, to provide support similar to organizations such as Help for Heroes and Wounded Warrior Project, and to promote recognition comparable to awards like the Victoria Cross, the Medal of Honor, the Legion of Honour, and the Order of Lenin. It aims to influence policy at forums including the European Parliament, the United Nations General Assembly, and national parliaments such as the French National Assembly and the United States Congress on matters affecting veterans' pensions, healthcare adjudicated under statutes like the Veterans' Disability Compensation, and reparations tied to treaties such as the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany. The Association partners with museums, archives, and universities including Oxford University, Harvard University, Université Paris-Sorbonne, Humboldt University of Berlin, and University of Tokyo to document testimonies and collections.

Membership and Organization

Membership has encompassed former personnel from armed formations including the British Army, the United States Army, the Red Army, the Wehrmacht, the Imperial Japanese Army, the French Foreign Legion, and irregular veterans from movements such as the French Resistance and the Partisans (Yugoslavia). Leadership structures have mirrored bodies like the International Committee of the Red Cross with regional chapters in Brussels, London, Washington, D.C., Moscow, Beijing, Canberra, New Delhi, Ottawa, and Johannesburg. Advisory councils have included representatives associated with institutions such as the NATO Defence College, the Geneva Academy, the European Court of Human Rights, and national veterans' ministries. The Association maintained liaison with veteran service organizations including Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League, National Association of Sporting Clubs, and municipal authorities in cities like Warsaw, Rome, Berlin, Paris, and New York City.

Activities and Programs

Programs have ranged from memorial services at sites tied to D-Day and Operation Overlord to educational outreach with schools like Eton College and museums such as the Imperial War Museum and the Canadian War Museum. It has organized conferences with partners like the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, think tanks including the Brookings Institution and Chatham House, and legal clinics at law schools such as Yale Law School and University of Cambridge Faculty of Law on issues linked to the Geneva Conventions. Welfare initiatives have collaborated with healthcare providers like NHS England, the Veterans Health Administration, and humanitarian NGOs including Médecins Sans Frontières and Save the Children. The Association produced oral histories archived alongside collections at the Library of Congress, the British Library, and the National Archives (United Kingdom).

Funding and Partnerships

The Association's financing historically combined membership dues, grants from foundations such as the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Rockefeller Foundation, and project funding from bodies like the European Commission, the United Nations Development Programme, and national arts councils including the Arts Council England. Corporate partnerships have included firms in defense and aerospace like BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Thales Group as well as publishing partnerships with houses such as Penguin Books, Oxford University Press, and Cambridge University Press. Philanthropic support arrived from trusts associated with families like the Gates family and prizes administered by organizations such as the Nobel Foundation and the Prince of Asturias Awards.

Controversies and Legal Issues

The Association has faced scrutiny over alleged links with paramilitary networks, disputes over entitlement similar to cases before the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court, and litigation over archives comparable to suits involving the British Broadcasting Corporation and the National Archives (United States). Critics referenced collaborations with individuals tied to regimes such as Pinochet's Chile and Francoist Spain and raised questions echoed in proceedings like the Nuremberg Trials and investigations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa). Internal governance disputes have led to arbitration reminiscent of cases at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and filings in national courts including the Cour de cassation (France) and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Impact and Legacy

The Association influenced commemorative practice at landmarks like Arc de Triomphe, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Yasukuni Shrine and contributed to scholarship alongside archives at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, RAND Corporation, Hoover Institution, and university presses. Its advocacy affected legislation in parliaments such as the Bundestag, the Knesset, and the Dáil Éireann and informed programs at ministries including those of Veterans Affairs (United States), Defence (United Kingdom), and national cultural agencies. The Association's oral histories, exhibitions, and legal interventions have been cited in works by historians associated with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Penguin Classics, and journals like The Journal of Military History and International Affairs, leaving a contested but significant imprint on 20th- and 21st-century veterans' memory culture.

Category:Veterans' organizations