Aleksander Einseln

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Aleksander Einseln (born October 25, 1931 in Tallinn - † March 16, 2017 ) was a US citizen of Estonian descent. From 1993 to 1995 he was the first military commander of the Estonian armed forces after the country regained independence.

Life

Aleksander Einseln grew up in Tallinn, the city of his birth, until the family fled to Germany from the Soviet troops in 1944 . From there she emigrated to the United States in 1949.

Einseln was married twice. He had three children from his first marriage.

Military career

United States

In 1950, shortly after arriving in the United States, Einseln joined the US Army . After a first deployment (1950–53) in the Korean War , he was promoted to lieutenant in 1955 . This was followed by missions in the Vietnam War , with the General Staff of the Armed Forces and with NATO in Brussels . He retired in 1985 with the rank of Colonel .

Estonia

After the country regained its independence, Estonia looked for experienced officers to rebuild its own armed forces, especially in western countries. The later president Lennart Meri managed to convince Einseln to return to Estonia. In 1993 he became the first military commander of the Estonian armed forces in the rank of major general (later lieutenant general ). Since there was initially no approval from the US authorities, there were various problems. This went so far that in addition to Einseln's pension from his service with the US armed forces, even his US citizenship was up for grabs . But these difficulties could soon be resolved.

However, after arguments with the then Defense Minister Andrus Öövel , Einseln felt compelled on December 3, 1995 to ask that he be relieved of his duties. The resignation request was granted and Einseln retired with the rank of general .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Aili Vahtla: Former defense forces chief Gen. Aleksander Einseln dies at 85. In: err.ee. March 16, 2017, accessed March 19, 2017 .
  2. ↑ a b c d Toivo Miljan: Historical Dictionary of Estonia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004. ISBN 978-0-8108-4904-4 ; Pp. 185-186 (English).
  3. ↑ Marilyn Achiron: Our Man in Estonia. In: People . August 2, 1993, accessed March 19, 2017.
  4. ^ Estonia Names American as Military Chief, but US Objects. In: The New York Times . May 6, 1993, accessed March 19, 2017.
  5. ↑ Ex-US Colonel Resigns As Estonian Army Chief. In: The New York Times . December 4, 1995, accessed March 19, 2017.
predecessor Office successor
- Kaitseväe juhatajad
1993-1995 		Johannes Kert
personal data
SURNAME Einseln, Aleksander
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American officer and Estonian general
DATE OF BIRTH October 25, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Tallinn
DATE OF DEATH March 16, 2017