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Honoured veterans of our wars and members of the Lotta Svärd organisation, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Eighty-five years ago, on 2 December 1939, Finland was in a hard place. The Finnish defence and the home front were being put to test in multiple ways. The enemy was advancing on the Karelian Isthmus, with the Finnish troops focusing on delaying action. Defences were also collapsing here and there north of Lake Ladoga, where the Soviet forces were attacking at full force towards Suojärvi. My grandfather Kai Setälä was involved in the battles on the northern side of Lake Ladoga as a military doctor in the Separate Battalion 11. In the situation report submitted to Marshal Mannerheim on 2 December, the combat situation was described as very difficult. The enemy troops, which were ten times more numerous than the Finnish ones, were advancing at an alarming speed.
On the third day of the war, the Soviet Union bombed many Finnish towns, including Helsinki, Hamina, Kouvola and Lahti. The independent Finland was in the midst of the greatest ordeal in the nation’s history. Finally, Finland managed to repel the attacking enemy on the Isthmus and in the Tolvajärvi battles north of Lake Ladoga. The miracle of the Winter War was a fact.
For us, who have been born after the wars, it is difficult to fathom all that you as soldiers and members of the Lotta Svärd organisation had to go through during the years of war. You fought against the overwhelmingly superior enemy without giving in. At the same time, the home front tried to get by and keep Finland going. Constantly fearing that the father of the family, husband or brother might never come back. Without you, we would not exist. In my case, that is literally true. My grandfather met my grandmother, who was volunteering as a Lotta, in the military hospital after getting injured on the front in the Continuation War.
For many of you, who belong to the Finnish generation that lived through the war, those were the years of survival. You had to grow up faster than you should have. But thanks to your perseverance, we can live and be grateful for an independent nation. Grateful for a safe homeland. Grateful for the best country in the world.
Your work did not end when the time for peace came. You worked hard to rebuild Finland. You worked selflessly, without saving yourselves, with the aim to leave the home country vigorous for post-war generations. You did it together. For all of us.
Today, we can look back at the success story of the 107-year-old Finland. At how our country became one of the most developed countries in the world in the post-war decades. This would not have been possible without the tenacious work of the veteran generation. Not to mention that many of those who belonged to it did so under difficult conditions. War orphans and those widowed by war, I extend to you my deepest respect. You experienced a personal loss, but were still capable of believing in the future and building something new.
Honoured representatives of the veteran generation,
my mind is filled with gratitude that my spouse and I have the opportunity to share this festive moment with you. And learn about your experiences and hear your thoughts about Finland. Then and now.
Thank you for doing what needed to be done. And much more. For the good of the homeland. And thank you for being our guests here today. I wish you all the best as you celebrate our independence with us.
