Capt. Pentti Iisalo, one of Finland’s few remaining holders of the Mannerheim Cross, the most distinguished Finnish military award for bravery in the field, died at the age of 88 in hospital in his home town of Lahti on Thursday, October 30th.
Iisalo was known for his patriotic opinions, and he was among the audience at the Suomifoorumi ("FinlandForum") debate arranged in Lahti on Tuesday evening.
After presenting a patriotic comment of his own he had a sudden heart attack and was taken to hospital, where he died shortly afterwards.
Iisalo was awarded the Mannerheim Cross in 1941 for capturing an anti-tank gun during the Finnish offensive in the Continuation War between Finland and the Soviet Union. At the time of the decoration Iisalo was a Second Lieutenant.
Iisalo’s action had a crucial impact on the battle for the Tiuri Bridge in Räisälä, a former Finnish municipality on the Karelian Isthmus that today belongs to Russia.
A total of 191 men of all ranks and branches of service have been decorated with the Mannerheim Cross. After Iisalo's passing, only three Knights are still alive.
As the first recipient (in terms of when the medal was awarded) among the surviving Knights, Iisalo was a familiar figure from 2001 onwards as the first person to shake the hand of the President at the annual Independence Day Reception on December 6th.
