Adolf Ehrnrooth

Adolf Erik Ehrnrooth (born February 2, 1905) is a Finnish general. He led the 7th Infantry regiment (JR 7) during the Continuation War and received the Mannerheim cross. Adolf Ehrnrooth is the face and voice most associated with rehabilitation of the fighters who secured Finland its independence. The long era during which it simply was not progressive to value the military, ended in the early 1990s, at which time his charismatic persona was at its height. He became a figurehead for the whole veteran community—straight-talking and unapologetic. When he found out that many neo-Nazi youths cited him as an idol, he blasted them squarely by saying that he might have in his own youth held nationalistic views. He continued then to proclaim that Finland's path was now in the European Union, a view the neo-Nazis did not uphold. Pundits have found his idiosyncratically-emphasized speech patterns and overheavily guttural snarls a rich ground to harvest. For them he is one of the indispensable voices.