The President of the Republic of Finland awarded Taavi Kaups with the First Class Medal of the Order of the White Rose of Finland on April 27, 2021.

Taavi Kaups (pictured, with his wife Ester) fought in the Finnish Continuation War in the ranks of the Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 as an Estonian volunteer in 1943–1944.

More than 3,300 Estonian volunteers fought on the Finnish fronts during the Continuation War years (1941–1944).

The Estonian volunteers, commonly referred to as Soomepoisid (Suomen-pojat / Finnish Boys), were formed into the Infantry Regiment 200 (JR 200) in the early spring of 1944.

The regiment was involved in the heavy defensive battles of the Karelian offensive.

Our Defence Attaché, Col. Petteri Seppälä, presented the medal to Taavi Kaups on April 28 in his Chicago home.

Text and photo:
“Embassy of Finland in the U.S.” Facebook page