Major General Pajari oiling his pistol. 1941-1944

Pajari

Major Suurkari with Captains Tukkimäki and Keravuori, at Salla during the Winter War in 1939-1940.

Aito Keravuori (1910-1998) swore his officer's oath in 1934 and served in a border company at Salla before WWII. In Winter War he fought in the same familiar area and was wounded once. He was promoted to Major and was battalion commander throughout Continuation War, after which he served as staff officer in military district of Oulu, and was involved in the Weapons Cache Case where he led the hiding of weapons and equipment around the city area. When the secret operation started to reveal in 1945 he received order to escape to Sweden, where he met up with group of other high ranking officers, later known as "Marttinen's Men". Year later Sweden deported them and they found their way to United States, where Keravuori, like most of them, enlisted to the army in 1947. He became Major of US Army in 1951 and 3 years later got into Special Forces. His knowledge and experience in winter and guerilla warfare was particularly appriciated. Keravuori was among the officers who helped Larry Thorne to get into the Green Berets. In 1957 Maj. Keravuori started his service as instructor in Bad Tölz, West-Germany and visited Finland in 1960, for first time after his escape. He later served as instructor in Laos and South-Vietnam until 1968, when he retired from military service as Colonel.

Aito Keravuori in the Winter War

Colonel Ruben Lagus (second from right) marches towards the frontlines motivating the men of his brigade during the Finnish offense phase in 1941.