In 1959, Dieter Uchtdorf was an 18-year-old air force cadet in Germany during the Cold War between the United States and Russia. Sitting in then-West Germany, he was on 24-hour alert, ready to deliver weaponry to attack his neighbors in East Germany.
“Fortunately, those times have come to an end,” the now 85-year-old Uchtdorf, an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told about 150 people seated in the Fort Douglas Cemetery in east Salt Lake City on Sunday. “But, of course, we see shadows on the horizon [and need to be] careful that these times won’t come back.”
It was the annual German National Day of Remembrance when many come to mourn the loss of life in both world wars and in many countries. The popular apostle and former air force pilot for that European country was the keynote speaker.
(Michael Stack | Special to The Tribune) Latter-day Saint apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf salutes at Fort Douglas Cemetery on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025.
“Peace is, as we all know, not just absence of war. Peace means that people can live with dignity, that conflicts can be solved without violence, that we listen to one another and care for one another,” the silver-haired church leader told the crowd. “This is true for all levels — this is for the family, for individual lives, for politicians, for communities, for all phases of life. … We can find a way of respecting and accepting each other as we are and help each other, even disregarding our differences.”
He pointed out that World War II “ended 80 years ago, and the unification of Germany is now 35 years ago. So, you see, times move on, but we need to learn from these. Remembrance, as we are doing here today, together, we’re a small group, but we are individuals, and every individual counts. So remembrance also means warning. It reminds us not to forget the lessons of history, to remain vigilant against hatred, exclusion and violence, to ensure that no one is treated as different or lesser because of their origin, faith or socioeconomic circumstance.”
Uchtdorf spoke movingly about twice being a refugee — and, he said, “looked down upon because of my background.”
Imagine “if people come to us who look different,” Uchtdorf asked, “how much more challenging is it for them to feel really at home and to belong to our wonderful community of children of Heavenly Father?”
Such remembrance “should not be an empty ritual,” he said. “It should be a quiet but powerful moment to pause and then to take responsibility [for our actions].”
Reconciliation “is our path of going forward. We live in a time when peace and freedom cannot be taken for granted,” the apostle said. “We see this around the world. We see new conflicts, old divisions and the suffering of the innocent. So what can we do, each of us, here and now, to make peace possible?”
(Michael Stack | Special to The Tribune) Latter-day Saint apostle Dieter F. Uchtdorf delivers remarks at Fort Douglas Cemetery on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025
He urged his listeners to take this “as a moment of strength not to look away. Make a stand. Make your point. … I love my German home country and make a stand for it. We don’t need to do this every day, but we need to do it when it counts. … We must speak up to change the future for the better.”
After Uchtdorf’s short speech, he and James Burton, Utah’s honorary consul for Germany, laid a ceremonial wreath on the memorial statue to German prisoners of war who died in the state.
The charismatic Uchtdorf then lingered for some 30 minutes greeting members of the audience, chatting with them in English and German and letting them take photos with him. Though a quieter presence, his wife, Harriet Uchtdorf, also warmly welcomed friends from here and abroad.