In Memoriam Jüri Martinson

 

 

We were four brothers and two sisters.

 

I have now said ‘goodbye’ to three of them.

 

The departure of Jüri has been most painful, since we grew up and lived most of our lives closely together.

Our father had many political friends, since he was a member of the Riigikogu (House of Representative), and had spent some time in Russian captivity at Krestoi prison with future President K. Päts, A. Tupits and others, prior to the Estonian War of Independence.

 

Our father was a lieutenant fighting in that War.

I remember when one of his friends visited us in the summer of 1939 as Russian solders entered Estonia.

 

It was a sunny afternoon and the General gave rides to all of the children on his motorcycle, which had a sidecar.

 

From that moment on, Jüri wanted to be an officer.

 

He had an aunt embroider the letter – O – monogram on all his clothing, indicating that he was an officer. This was a foreboding of his future.

Jüri and I lived always in the same room until he left for the Army.

 

We survived the misery and hunger years of Wartime Germany.

 

From fourth grade on, we were in the same grade in school – even though I was a year and half older, but was held back due to health issues.

In high school, Jüri was quite popular: he was President of our Rifle Club… Yes, in those days we had rifle clubs in all the major cities in Connecticut and held competitions between schools.

 

Jüri was Vice President  of the Honor Society and performed with great success in the student production of H.M.S. Pinafore, where he sang solo with his great bass voice and without a mike.

 

We graduated near the top of our class with only three hundreth of a grade point difference.

Attending UCONN, he majored in Chemistry, but his heart was in the Army ROTC, where he excelled as Company Commander.

 

Since he graduated from ROTC on top of his class, he was offered a regular Army Commission which he gladly accepted.

Jüri and I stayed close throughout his Army career and we got together frequently on his various tours of duty at different Army bases.

 

We often met at his father-in-law’s retirement camp in the Adirondacks North of Utica.

 

This was a magical place that Eve’s parents had developed high on the edge of Black River.

 

Jüri and grandfather erected an altar on the front lawn from upright birch logs and all 4 of Jüri and Eve’s children and our 2 children were baptized there.

 

Jüri would go skiing on the frozen river at Christmas time and canoeing in the summertime. He enjoyed nature’s quiet solitude.

The culmination of his military career was his appointment to the faculty at West Point.

 

He had acquired his masters degree in History while attending General Staff and Command College. 

 

Jüri was the director of the European History Department at West Point for many years and taught true European history to the future Corps of U.S. Army officers.

After 22 years and some 23 moves, time came to settle down and provide a permanent home for his and Eve’s 4 children, with the eldest soon to enter college.

 

He retired from the Army, went to work for Kaman Aircraft Corporation and acquired Kivitare.

At Kaman, he quickly rose to the director of manufacturing position with his unassuming authoritative, yet positive nature and Army background.

 

He took me on a tour through the Kaman facilities one Saturday and was met everywhere with enthusiastic co-workers.

Kivitare became his full-time job.

 

Upon retirement from Kaman Aircraft, he used his masonry skills that he had acquired working in Lakewood, N.J. during his college summers, to build the garage addition  and the massive fireplace.

 

He built another large fireplace at the grandparents retirement house.

 

Whenever we visited at Kivitare, there was construction in process.

 

No matter how early one would get up, coming downstairs one would always find the coffee pot steaming and the cement mixer grinding away.

Jüri never boasted about his career… he didn’t have to.

 

It spoke for itself.

 

Jüri donated his uniform and medals to General Laidoner’s Home Museum in Estonia, on the other side of Lake Viljandi from our homestead.

In addition to all this, Jüri also found time for and connected closely with the American-Estonian Community. 

 

He belonged to ERKÜ, was a director for many years of the Nordic Press, Inc. – our American Estonian newspaper “Vaba Eesti Sõna”, was often the main speaker at the Estonian Independence Day celebrations, etc.

 

Not to mention bringing his children and grandchildren up bilingual.

Jüri left a legacy of hard work and fluent Estonian to his four children and 9 grandchildren.

 

He left a legacy to all of us of friendliness, positivity and accomplishment. More-over, Jüri left a unique legacy of a small Estonian boy who dreamt about becoming an officer and actually becoming a high-ranking United States officer and teaching history at the renown U.S. Army Military Academy at West Point.

The heading, under his picture in our high school yearbook so aptly predicted his life achievement…..

 

“He makes the most of the best and least of the worst”. 

 

Exactly what Jüri did!

A life well lived!

 

Märt Martinson

 

Artickle in Estonian here