Editing Lauri Törni (section)

==Career==

===World War II===
[[File:Lauri_torni.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Vänrikki]] Lauri Törni after graduating from cadet school in 1940]]
[[File:Asekatkentataulu.png|left|thumb|The Törni–Männistö Weapon cache]]
During the battles at [[Lake Ladoga]], Törni took part in the destruction of the encircled Soviet divisions in [[Winter War#Battles in Ladoga Karelia|Lemetti]].{{sfn|Cleverley|2008|pp=26–32}}

His performance during these engagements was noticed by his commanders, and toward the end of the conflict, he was assigned to officer training where he was commissioned as a [[Vänrikki]] ([[2nd lieutenant]]) in the reserves.{{sfn|Cleverley|2008|p=287}} After the Winter War, in June 1941, Törni went to [[Vienna, Austria]] for seven weeks of training with the ''[[Waffen-SS]]'', and returned to Finland in July; as a Finnish officer, the Germans recognized him as an [[Untersturmführer]].{{sfn|Cleverley|2008|pp=55, 58}}
Most of Törni's reputation was based on his successful actions in the [[Continuation War]] (1941–44) between the [[Soviet Union]] and Finland. In 1943, a unit informally named ''Detachment Törni'' was created under his command. This was an infantry unit that penetrated deep behind enemy lines and soon enjoyed a reputation on both sides of the front for its combat effectiveness. One of Törni's subordinates was future [[President of Finland]] [[Mauno Koivisto]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Bennett|first=Richard M.|title=Elite Forces|year=2003|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0753508237|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4JsL8v_sg5wC&q=Lauri+T%C3%B6rni&pg=PT213|access-date=2020-12-12|archive-date=2021-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724200157/https://books.google.com/books?id=4JsL8v_sg5wC&q=Lauri+T%C3%B6rni&pg=PT213|url-status=live}}</ref> Koivisto served in a [[Sissi (Finnish light infantry)|reconnaissance company]] under Törni's command during the [[Battle of Ilomantsi (1944)|Battle of Ilomantsi]], the final Finnish-Soviet engagement of the Continuation War, during July and August 1944. Törni's unit inflicted such heavy casualties on Soviet units that the Soviet Army placed a [[Bounty (reward)|bounty]] of 3,000,000 [[Finnish markka|Finnish marks]] on his head.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jowett|first1=Philip|last2=Snodgrass|first2=Brent|title=Finland at War 1939–1945|date=2006|publisher=Osprey|location=Oxford|isbn=978-1782001256|page=32 |oclc=824780162}}</ref> He was decorated with the [[Mannerheim Cross]] 2nd Class on 9 July 1944.<ref>[http://www.mannerheim-ristinritarit.fi/ritarit?xmid=169 Knights of the Mannerheim Cross] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419020817/http://www.mannerheim-ristinritarit.fi/ritarit?xmid=169 |date=2014-04-19 }} (Finnish); accessed 20 September 2014.</ref>

[[File:Törni Company.svg|thumb|upright|Shoulder patch of Detachment Törni]]
The September 1944 [[Moscow Armistice]] required the Finnish government to remove German troops from its territory, resulting in the [[Lapland War]]; during this period, much of the Finnish Army was demobilized, including Törni, leaving him unemployed in November 1944.{{sfn|Gill|1998|pp=67–68}} In January 1945, he was recruited by the [[Pro-German resistance movement in Finland]] and left for [[saboteur]] training in Germany, with the intention of organizing resistance in case Finland was occupied by the Soviet Union.{{sfn|Gill|1998|pp=69, 72}} The training was prematurely ended in March, but as Törni could not secure transportation to Finland, he joined the [[Waffen SS]] to fight Soviet troops near [[Schwerin, Germany]].{{sfn|Gill|1998|pp=75–76}} He surrendered to British troops in the last stages of World War II and eventually returned to Finland in June 1945 after escaping a British POW camp in [[Lübeck, Germany]].{{sfn|Gill|1998|pp=77, 82}}

[[File:Torni_lauri.jpg|thumb|upright|Törni in a ''Waffen-SS'' uniform during training in 1941]]

As his family had been [[Evacuation of Finnish Karelia|evacuated from Karelia]], Törni sought to rejoin them in Helsinki but was arrested by [[Valtiollinen poliisi#Valpo II (Red Valpo)|Valpo]], the Finnish state police.{{sfn|Gill|1998|pp=85–86}} After escaping, he was arrested a second time in April 1946, and tried for [[treason]] for continuing to serve in the German military during the Lapland War.{{sfn|Salomaa|2000|pp=554–557}} A trial in October and November resulted in a six-year sentence in January 1947. Imprisoned at the [[Turku]] provincial prison, Törni escaped in June, but was recaptured and sent to the [[Riihimäki]] State Prison.{{sfn|Gill|1998|pp=90–92}} President [[Juho Kusti Paasikivi|Juho Paasikivi]] granted him a pardon in December 1948.<ref name="Salomaa">Salomaa, Markku:&nbsp;”Törni, Lauri (1919–1965)”,&nbsp;''Suomen kansallisbiografia, osa 10'', s. 125–126.   Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2007. {{ISBN|978-9517464512}}.  [https://kansallisbiografia.fi/kansallisbiografia/henkilo/7845 Teoksen verkkoversio].</ref>
[[File:Lauri Törni porttikielto Hotelli Tammer.jpg|thumb|A plaque in [[Hotel Tammer]], Tampere, about Lauri Törni's Jägers being banned from meeting there in 1946.]]

===Emigration to the United States===
In 1949, Törni, accompanied by his wartime [[executive officer]] Holger Pitkänen, traveled to [[Sweden]], crossing the border from [[Tornio]] to [[Haparanda]] (Haaparanta), where many inhabitants are ethnic Finns. From Haparanda, Törni traveled by railroad to [[Stockholm]] where he stayed with [[Essen family|Baroness von Essen]], who harbored many fugitive Finnish officers following the war. Pitkänen was arrested and repatriated to Finland. In Sweden, Törni fell in love with a [[Finland Swedish|Swedish Finn]], Marja Kops, and was soon engaged to be married. In order to secure employment, Törni traveled under an alias as a Swedish seaman aboard the SS ''Bolivia'', destined for [[Caracas, Venezuela]], where he met one of his Winter War commanders, the Finnish colonel [[Matti Aarnio]], who was in exile{{citation needed|reason=The article about him doesn't state that he was forced to emigrate|date=July 2021}} in Venezuela after the war. Törni hid on a Swedish cargo ship, the MS ''Skagen'', which traveled from [[Caracas]] for the [[United States]] in 1950.{{sfn|Cleverley|2008|pp=185–186}}

While in the [[Gulf of Mexico]], near [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]], [[Alabama]], Törni jumped overboard and swam to shore. Now a political refugee,<ref>{{cite book|title=Finns in the United States: A History of Settlement, Dissent, and Integration|year=2014|publisher=Michigan State University Press|isbn=978-1628950205|page=52|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WxcTAwAAQBAJ|author=Kero, Reino|author-link=Reino Kero|editor=Kostianinen, Auvo|chapter=Part 3: Seamen, Masses, and Individual Migrants of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: Migration from Finland to North America|access-date=20 September 2014|archive-date=24 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724200156/https://books.google.com/books?id=WxcTAwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Törni traveled to [[New York City]] where he was helped by the Finnish-American community living in Brooklyn's [[Sunset Park, Brooklyn|Sunset Park]] "[[Finntown]]". There he worked as a carpenter and cleaner. In 1953, Törni was granted a residence permit through an Act of Congress<ref>{{cite journal|title=Chapter 422 [H.R. 2604], Private Law 83-168 – An Act for the relief of Lauri Allan Torni|journal=83rd Congress, 1st Session, 1953|date=12 August 1953|volume=67|page=A60|url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-67/pdf/STATUTE-67-PgA60.pdf|access-date=3 June 2014|archive-date=6 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606235242/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-67/pdf/STATUTE-67-PgA60.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> that was shepherded by the law firm of [[William J. Donovan|"Wild Bill" Donovan]], former head of the [[Office of Strategic Services]].

====United States Army====
Törni [[Enlisted rank|enlisted]] in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in 1954 under the provisions of the [[Lodge-Philbin Act]] and adopted the name Larry Thorne. In the U.S. Army, he was befriended by a group of [[Finnish-American]] officers who came to be known as "Marttinen's Men" (fin. ''Marttisen miehet'').<ref group="nb">Named after Colonel [[Alpo K. Marttinen]], this group of Finnish wartime officers had immigrated to the United States and joined the U.S. Army under the Lodge Act. Several were brought into the [[US Special Forces]] at its inception.</ref>

With their support, Thorne joined the U.S. Army [[Special Forces (United States Army)|Special Forces]]. While in the Special Forces, he taught [[skiing]], survival, mountaineering, and [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla tactics]]. In turn he attended [[United States Army Airborne School|airborne school]], and advanced in rank to sergeant. Receiving his US citizenship in 1957, Thorne attended [[Officer Candidate School (United States Army)|Officer Candidate School]], and was commissioned as a [[First Lieutenant#U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force|first lieutenant]] in the [[Signal Corps (United States Army)|Signal Corps]].{{sfn|Gill|1998|pp=117–119}} He later received a [[Regular Army (United States)|Regular Army commission]] and a promotion to captain in 1960. From 1958 to 1962, he served in the [[10th Special Forces Group]] in [[West Germany]] at [[Bad Tölz]], from where he was second-in-command of a search and recovery mission high in the [[Zagros Mountains]] of [[Iran]], which gained him a notable reputation.{{sfn|Gill|1998|pp=127–135}} When he was in Germany, he briefly visited his relatives in Finland. In an episode of [[The Big Picture (American TV series)|''The Big Picture'']] released in 1962 and composed of footage filmed in 1959, Thorne is shown as a lieutenant with the 10th Special Forces Group in the United States Army.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv04zcD7hlo Phantom Fighters – The Big Picture] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120052718/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv04zcD7hlo |date=2020-11-20 }}, via YouTube.</ref>

===Vietnam War===
Deploying to [[South Vietnam]] in November 1963 to support [[Army of the Republic of Vietnam]] (ARVN) forces in the [[Vietnam War]], Thorne and Special Forces Detachment A-734 were stationed in the [[Tịnh Biên District]] and assigned to operate [[Civilian Irregular Defense Group program|Civilian Irregular Defense Group]] (CIDG) encampments at [[Châu Lăng]] and later [[Tịnh Biên]].{{sfn|Cleverley|2008|pp=239–245}}

During a fierce attack on the CIDG camp in Tịnh Biên, he received two [[Purple Heart]]s and a [[Bronze Star Medal]] for valor during the battle.{{sfn|McDowell|2002|pp=}}

Thorne's second tour in Vietnam began in February 1965 with [[5th Special Forces Group (United States)|5th Special Forces Group]]; he then transferred to [[Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group]] (MACV–SOG), a classified US special operations unit focusing on [[unconventional warfare (United States)|unconventional warfare]] in Vietnam, as a military advisor.{{sfn|McDowell|2002|pp=}}
[[File:The last known photo of Lauri Törni in Vietnam.jpg|thumb|The last photo of Lauri Törni on October 15, 1965, three days before his death. A reconnaissance team is about to depart on a mission from Kham Duc. Pictured are Vietnamese helicopter pilots, Patrol Leader Charles Petry, Lieutenant Colonel Ray Call, and Captain Larry Thorne.]]
On 18 October 1965, as part of the operation [[Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group#Shining Brass|Shining Brass]], Thorne was supervising the first [[covert operation|clandestine]] mission to locate [[Viet Cong]] turnaround points along the [[Ho Chi Minh trail]] and destroy them with [[airstrike]]s. Two [[Republic of Vietnam Air Force]] (RVNAF) [[Sikorsky H-34|CH-34 helicopters]] launched from Kham Duc Special Forces Camp and rendezvoused with a [[United States Air Force]] [[Cessna O-1 Bird Dog]] [[Forward Air Controller]] in inclement weather in a mountainous area of [[Phước Sơn District]], [[Quảng Nam Province]], [[Vietnam]], {{convert|25|mi}} from [[Da Nang]]. While one CH-34 descended through a gap in the weather to drop off the six-man team, the command CH-34 carrying Thorne and the O-1 loitered nearby. When the drop helicopter returned above the cloud cover, both the CH-34 and the O-1 had disappeared.{{sfn|McDowell|2002}}<ref>{{cite book|last=LeFavor|first=Paul D.|title=US Army Special Forces Small Unit Tactics Handbook|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZNoQXkhZgGAC|year=2013|publisher=Blacksmith|location=Fayetteville, NC|isbn=978-0989551304|pages=50–51|editor=Blackburn, Michael|chapter=Ch. 1: Special Forces History – Operation Shining Brass|access-date=2016-10-03|archive-date=2021-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724200158/https://books.google.com/books?id=ZNoQXkhZgGAC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Maitland|first1=Terrence|last2=McInerney|first2=Peter|title=The Vietnam Experience: A Contagion of War|url=https://archive.org/details/vietnamexperienc00mait|url-access=registration|publisher=Boston Publishing Company|year=1983|isbn=0939526050|pages=[https://archive.org/details/vietnamexperienc00mait/page/123 123–124]}}</ref> Rescue teams were unable to locate the crash site. Shortly after his disappearance, Thorne was promoted to the rank of major and posthumously awarded the [[Legion of Merit]] and [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]].{{sfn|McDowell|2002}}

In 1999, Thorne's remains were found by a Finnish and [[Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command|Joint Task Force-Full Accounting]] team<ref group="nb">Per McDowell, Finnish members of the team included publisher [[:fi:Kari Kallonen|Kari Kallonen]], reporter [[:fi:Petri Sarjanen|Petri Sarjanen]], photographer Juha Saxberg, Törni's nephew Juha Rajala, and videographer Tapio Anttila.</ref> and repatriated to the United States following a Hanoi [[Noi Bai International Airport]] ceremony that included Secretary of State [[Madeleine Albright]] and Ambassador [[Pete Peterson]].{{sfn|McDowell|2002}}

[[File:Larry thorne tombstone b.jpg|thumb|upright|Shared grave of Thorne and fellow Vietnam War casualties in [[Arlington National Cemetery]]]]
Formally identified in 2003, his remains were buried on 26 June 2003 at [[Arlington National Cemetery]], along with the RVNAF casualties of the mission recovered at the crash site.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgZ0aG9ybmUSBWxhcnJ5/ |title=Burial Detail: Thorne, Larry A. (Section 60, Grave 8136) Birth Date: 05/28/1919; Death Date: 10/18/1965; Interment Date: 06/26/2003 |work=ANC Explorer |publisher=Arlington National Cemetery |id=(Official website) |access-date=2021-01-15 |archive-date=2020-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016165543/https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/CgZ0aG9ybmUSBWxhcnJ5/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Temmes|first=Asko|title=Legendary Finnish war hero Lauri Törni (Larry Thorne) to get final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery: Remains of victims of 1965 helicopter crash will be interred simultaneously|url=http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20030617IE9|work=Helsingin Sanomat|date=12 June 2003|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417155023/http://www2.hs.fi/english/archive/news.asp?id=20030617IE9|archive-date=17 April 2014}}</ref> He was memorialized on the [[Vietnam Veterans Memorial]] at Panel 02E, Line 126.<ref>{{cite web|title=Larry Alan Thorne Major SD-5891, HQ, MACV Advisors, MACV. Army of the United States, Norwalk, Connecticut|url=http://www.virtualwall.org/dt/ThorneLA01a.htm|website=virtualwall.org|publisher=The Virtual Wall® Vietnam Veterans Memorial|access-date=30 August 2017|archive-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913054404/http://www.virtualwall.org/dt/ThorneLA01a.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> He was survived only by his fiancée, Marja Kops.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lauri Törni rakastui kunnolla vain kerran, mutta onnellinen tarina päättyi erittäin lyhyeen|date=29 September 2015|url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000001000667.html|publisher=Ilta-Sanomat|language=fi|access-date=23 February 2019|archive-date=23 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223184847/https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000001000667.html|url-status=live}}</ref>