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Born A Soldier: The Times And Life Of Larry Thorne
Born a Soldier is a tour of the mid-20th century's conflicts with the remarkable Larry Thorne. Capturing the "times" as well as the "life" of its protagonist, it is a journey with a truly amazing and colorful man. Born "Lauri Törni," Thorne fought in Finland's first to last battles with Russia winning the country's equivalent of the Congressional Medal of Honor. As the legendary leader of one of the most elite companies in the Finnish army, one of the best armies of World War II, Thorne carried a price on his head, dead or alive, from the Red Army, reputedly the only Finnish soldier so singled out. When World War changed to Cold War, Thorne was a refugee, political prisoner, fugitive, exile, and illegal alien, and eventually gained legal status in the US through an Act of Congress. An early member of the Green Berets he was soon a legend there, too: the book The Green Berets' first Vietnam hero, "Kornie" in Chapter One, the chapter that served as the basis for the movie.
372 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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237 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 29, 2019
A good book detailing the life of the extraordinary man that was Lauri Torni, a Finnish and later a US Army soldier. The book gives good detail on the background of Finnish political and social background so you can understand his train of thought better during the 1940's where he had to fight the Soviets and then escape from his mother country because of communist oppression after the war. It also goes into great detail about his service with the US Army, which is very interesting. The only thing lacking is more detail about his service in the Finnish army against the Soviets during the Winter and Continuation Wars, and that would have made this a 5 star book.
November 4, 2025
Pretty much everyone who has served in the US Army Special Forces has heard about Larry Thorne, the soldier who served in three armies in order to kill communists. Despite the fact that I had heard of Thorne and heard a little bit about this legendary soldier, I didn't really know his whole story, and decided to read this biography since it was recommended (there is a newer biography, but it is only in Finnish, so this had to do). Besides the usual information about childhood, etc., I learned some really interesting things about Lauri Torni (Larry Thorne in his anglicized name).
1. This man was a born soldier - and an aggressive and unconventional one.
2. Against the Soviets in both the Winter War and the Continuation War, Thorne was the deadliest of small unit leaders, accomplishing more than anyone could have expected.
3. It doesn't seem that he actually saw combat in the German Army.
4. He was definitely the "break glass when needed" type of soldier. He didn't find a staff role that suited him until he was around 40.
5. He died in a helicopter crash due to poor weather.
6. The character of Sven Korne in The Green Berets (book) is based on Larry Thorne (and pretty accurately, it seems). In the movie, the character name becomes Captain McDaniels and has been changed to fit a more generic SF Captain, probably to give John Wayne's character less competition as the protagonist.
Excellent book, highly recommended.
1. This man was a born soldier - and an aggressive and unconventional one.
2. Against the Soviets in both the Winter War and the Continuation War, Thorne was the deadliest of small unit leaders, accomplishing more than anyone could have expected.
3. It doesn't seem that he actually saw combat in the German Army.
4. He was definitely the "break glass when needed" type of soldier. He didn't find a staff role that suited him until he was around 40.
5. He died in a helicopter crash due to poor weather.
6. The character of Sven Korne in The Green Berets (book) is based on Larry Thorne (and pretty accurately, it seems). In the movie, the character name becomes Captain McDaniels and has been changed to fit a more generic SF Captain, probably to give John Wayne's character less competition as the protagonist.
Excellent book, highly recommended.
September 2, 2025
This has been on my reading list for SOOOOOOO long and it was so hard to find a copy of. (Thank you internet for making all things possible for those willing to search the darkest corners.)
One thing I found personally interesting were the number of places that my path crossed over with Thorne's even if separated by decades of time.
Thorne was an interesting person, but I think the awe that I would have held him in as a 20 something, is tempered a bit by believing that there was something potentially wrong with him in a way now that I'm in my 40's. The fact that he couldn't settle down, didn't know when to quit, and seemed to seek out adventure for adventure's sake almost makes him a precursor to the type drawn into Blackwater and other private contractors in the War on Terror.
Whatever your personal beliefs about him as a person are though, he was certainly interesting and someone you'd want to have a beer with.
One thing I found personally interesting were the number of places that my path crossed over with Thorne's even if separated by decades of time.
Thorne was an interesting person, but I think the awe that I would have held him in as a 20 something, is tempered a bit by believing that there was something potentially wrong with him in a way now that I'm in my 40's. The fact that he couldn't settle down, didn't know when to quit, and seemed to seek out adventure for adventure's sake almost makes him a precursor to the type drawn into Blackwater and other private contractors in the War on Terror.
Whatever your personal beliefs about him as a person are though, he was certainly interesting and someone you'd want to have a beer with.
January 11, 2024
There have already been many books written about the Finnish-American war hero Lauri Törni, so you might think that everything that is important has already been written. However, J. Michael Cleverley wanted to do one more work. What new does he have to offer readers?
In his own words, the author wanted to create an overview of the conflicts of the last century as seen through the life of Lauri Törni. These overviews are the book's most original contribution. They offer a particularly American perspective on the events of Lauri Törni's life, to a greater or lesser extent. The author has carefully accompanied his perspective with references that allow the reader to compare the text with the original sources.
J. Michael Cleverley is an American writer, but he also has strong ties to Finland. He has worked for several years in the US Embassy in Helsinki and is fluent in Finnish. His wife is of Finnish descent. His wife's parents are also Karelian refugees and have experienced first-hand the same historical turmoil as the Törni family.
Finnish readers will already be familiar with Törni's experiences in Finland during the Second World War. In contrast, Cleverley is able to provide interesting and accurate information about the Americanized Larry A. Thorne in the United States and his military service in the United States after the war. For non-Finnish readers, Cleverley's presentation mainly recounts the life of Larry A. Thorne, known as the legend of the Green Berets, but also sheds light on how Lauri Törni became a legendary warrior in the Finnish army.
Cleverley has obviously wanted to avoid a dry, matter-of-fact description and therefore sometimes uses almost unbelievable hyperbole to describe Törni's superior military skills. The maps accompanying the work are a definite merit: they are good, clear and simple, unlike typical maps of military activity.
In his own words, the author wanted to create an overview of the conflicts of the last century as seen through the life of Lauri Törni. These overviews are the book's most original contribution. They offer a particularly American perspective on the events of Lauri Törni's life, to a greater or lesser extent. The author has carefully accompanied his perspective with references that allow the reader to compare the text with the original sources.
J. Michael Cleverley is an American writer, but he also has strong ties to Finland. He has worked for several years in the US Embassy in Helsinki and is fluent in Finnish. His wife is of Finnish descent. His wife's parents are also Karelian refugees and have experienced first-hand the same historical turmoil as the Törni family.
Finnish readers will already be familiar with Törni's experiences in Finland during the Second World War. In contrast, Cleverley is able to provide interesting and accurate information about the Americanized Larry A. Thorne in the United States and his military service in the United States after the war. For non-Finnish readers, Cleverley's presentation mainly recounts the life of Larry A. Thorne, known as the legend of the Green Berets, but also sheds light on how Lauri Törni became a legendary warrior in the Finnish army.
Cleverley has obviously wanted to avoid a dry, matter-of-fact description and therefore sometimes uses almost unbelievable hyperbole to describe Törni's superior military skills. The maps accompanying the work are a definite merit: they are good, clear and simple, unlike typical maps of military activity.
April 8, 2020
This is a good biography about an interesting life. But it is a piss poor history book.
We have hero worshiping and more or less imperialistic language. The American soldiers are described as tough and strong and so on. Vietnamese soldiers are described as a "hoard". Why not call them barbarians? And there is a lot of these small worries in this book. A lot of bad history writing and ignoring problems with the heros of the story. How come so many finnish soldiers fled to a military dictature after they got blamed for hoarding weapons? Was all these soldiers that went to "train" with the nazis only there to train? They had no sympathy at all for the nazi cause? And so on and so forth.
I liked the book. It was well written and interseting. But all of this really bad history, and in some cases false history, push it down at least one star. Possibly two.
We have hero worshiping and more or less imperialistic language. The American soldiers are described as tough and strong and so on. Vietnamese soldiers are described as a "hoard". Why not call them barbarians? And there is a lot of these small worries in this book. A lot of bad history writing and ignoring problems with the heros of the story. How come so many finnish soldiers fled to a military dictature after they got blamed for hoarding weapons? Was all these soldiers that went to "train" with the nazis only there to train? They had no sympathy at all for the nazi cause? And so on and so forth.
I liked the book. It was well written and interseting. But all of this really bad history, and in some cases false history, push it down at least one star. Possibly two.
February 22, 2019
Aikamoinen velikulta on tämä Törni ollut. Kirja piti koko matkan mielenkiinnon yllä.
Välillä hieman sekoitti vuosilukujen välillä hyppiminen. Uskomaton tarina.
Välillä hieman sekoitti vuosilukujen välillä hyppiminen. Uskomaton tarina.
November 30, 2022
"Born A Soldier: The Times And Life Of Larry Thorne" is an interesting biography by J. Michael Cleverley. Cleverley does a good job of adding detail to his story, making it one of the most complete and well written accounts of Larry Thornes life. The book however is of course very bias toward Larry Thorne himself, making some parts when Thorne's motives are questionable seem completely acceptable to us as readers and not fully showing the other side of the conflict Thorne was in. As a writing in a fully unbiased, historical sense, this book does not do a great job. However, seen from the light of a biography and a story, it is full of detail and very interesting to read.
August 5, 2022
Lauri Törni, was one of the greatest warriors to ever live. Thriving through the Winter War and Continuation War, he accomplished video game like feats against overwhelming Soviet forces. He was a daredevil, a brawler, a fantastic soldier, and incredible leader. He led his men to Hell and Back, and they'd follow him on another trip there.
The book is relatively well researched, gathering as many documents as possible about our Finnish hero, but of course the context and atmosphere drawn is written for normie audiences.
But great tale of Larry's many feats nonetheless.
The book is relatively well researched, gathering as many documents as possible about our Finnish hero, but of course the context and atmosphere drawn is written for normie audiences.
But great tale of Larry's many feats nonetheless.
January 14, 2023
Great book
I recommend this book to anyone who want to learn about Finnish, Cold War and Vietnam history. Being military history buff, who has special interest in Finnish in WW2 with Russio Finnish war, Continuation War, and Lapland war. What interesting soldier Larry Throne was. The author wrote background on history of Finland, Cold war and Vietnam. Which I plan to use this book as a reference.
I recommend this book to anyone who want to learn about Finnish, Cold War and Vietnam history. Being military history buff, who has special interest in Finnish in WW2 with Russio Finnish war, Continuation War, and Lapland war. What interesting soldier Larry Throne was. The author wrote background on history of Finland, Cold war and Vietnam. Which I plan to use this book as a reference.
February 27, 2023
great read about a true soldier
Great read. Very interesting and moves along quickly. I knew or Larry Thorne but I didn’t really know his story. He was truly an amazing soldier and man. The author’s style is interesting and easy to read. Highly recommend.
Great read. Very interesting and moves along quickly. I knew or Larry Thorne but I didn’t really know his story. He was truly an amazing soldier and man. The author’s style is interesting and easy to read. Highly recommend.
May 12, 2020
Great biography of an extremely colorful character.
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December 14, 202123.2.2008
March 30, 2023
Warrior
March 28, 2025
histoire de guerre d'un finlandais.
March 13, 2022
Larry Thorne was a Finnish soldier who fought the Soviets in WWII and when Finland surrendered to the USSR he went to Germany and trained with the SS to continue fighting the Soviets. When the war ended, he was labeled a war criminal and went on the run. He only trained with the Germans he never fully integrated into the SS. He then made his way into America and eventually joined the Army. He made it into the Green Berets and then into MACVSOG. He is the only member of the SS to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was an exceptional soldier and remains a legend in the community.
August 26, 2010
J. Michael Cleverley kertoo suomalaisen tarunhohtoisen sankarin Lauri Törnin tarinan. Kirja ei ole pelkkä ylistyskertomus suomalaisen sisun rokkamaiselle ilmentymälle, vaan kirjoittaja nivoo poikkeusyksilön elämänkulun sotaisten vuosikymmenten maailmanlaajuiseen kontekstiin.
Lauri Törnistä (1919–1965) annetaan monipuolinen kuva eri henkilöiden näkökulmasta, aina Salme-siskon haastatteluista Virheiden barettien kirjoittajaan Robin Mooreen. Cleverley taustoittaa varsin osuvasti historiaa tuntemattomille lukijoille Suomen asemaa toisen maailmansodan aikana ja ottaa melko subjektiivisesti kantaa myös kylmän sodan aikaan.
Rakenteeltaan kirja etenee kronologisesti synnyinkaupungista Viipurista monen mutkan jälkeen Vietnamin rajaseuduille, jonne Törnin sotilasura päättyi helikopterin alasampumiseen. Tulevan suomalaisen olympianyrkkeilijämestarin ja Yhdysvaltoihin emigroituneiden suomalaisten ammattisotilaiden kouluttaman poikkeussotilaan ura ja yksityiselämä oli monisärmäinen.
Alun perin Törni oli talvisodassa huoltojoukoissa, mutta lupautuminen vapaaehtoiseksi sissipartioon muutti hänen sotilasuransa. Parikymppisestä huimapäästä tuli kuulu motittaja ja sissipäällikkö, joista ansioista hänelle myönnettiin Mannerheim-risti. Pariin otteeseen hän oli Saksassa SS-joukoissa, mutta ilman suurempaa menestystä. Toisen maailmansodan jälkeen asekätkentäjupakan takia Törni tuomittiin vankilaan. Seurasi harhailuja ulkomailla, maailman merillä ja Etelä-Amerikassa. Siviilielämään sopeutumaton Törni kaipasi taisteluja, ja monen mutkan kautta ja Lex Törnin myötä hän sai Yhdysvaltain kansalaisuuden. Marttisten miehet kouluttivat sotilaasta vihreiden barettien sissijohtajan. Monen vuoden armeijakomennuksen jälkeen Pohjois-Vietnamin joukoille raskaita tappioita aiheuttaneen Törnin kohtaloksi koitui helikopterin törmäys vuoren seinämään kommandojoukkojen maahanlaskun jälkeisessä onnettomuudessa Laosissa huonon sään vuoksi.
Siviilielämää käsitellään monen läheisen näkökulmasta ja häntä kuvataan kohteliaaksi ja seuralliseksi mieheksi. Perisuomalaiseen tapaan alkoholi ja temperamenttinen luonne ei sovi yhteen. Törnistä saa käsityksen voittamattomana nyrkkisankarina, joka iskee kapakallisen baarikärpäsiä kanveesiin eri puolilla maailmaa, aina Harlemista lähtien. Kääntöpuolella on kerran elämässään kihloihin ajautunut miehenköriläs, joka ei pystynyt kuitenkaan sitoutumaan valittuunsa, vaan vuosia myöhemmin palattuaan entisen rakastettunsa luo huomaa heidän maailmojensa yhteensovittamattomuuden.
Kaiken kaikkiaan kirja tarjoaa hyvin toimitetun ja kirjoitetun lukunautinnon suomalaisesta sotilaslegendasta. Lukuisat kuvat päähenkilöstä ja kartat sotatantereelta tukevat hyvin kerrontaa. Lopulta Törnistä välittyy mitään pelkäämättömän, armottoman, kurittoman ja karskin sotilaan kuva, joka lienee vertaansa vailla.
Lauri Törnistä (1919–1965) annetaan monipuolinen kuva eri henkilöiden näkökulmasta, aina Salme-siskon haastatteluista Virheiden barettien kirjoittajaan Robin Mooreen. Cleverley taustoittaa varsin osuvasti historiaa tuntemattomille lukijoille Suomen asemaa toisen maailmansodan aikana ja ottaa melko subjektiivisesti kantaa myös kylmän sodan aikaan.
Rakenteeltaan kirja etenee kronologisesti synnyinkaupungista Viipurista monen mutkan jälkeen Vietnamin rajaseuduille, jonne Törnin sotilasura päättyi helikopterin alasampumiseen. Tulevan suomalaisen olympianyrkkeilijämestarin ja Yhdysvaltoihin emigroituneiden suomalaisten ammattisotilaiden kouluttaman poikkeussotilaan ura ja yksityiselämä oli monisärmäinen.
Alun perin Törni oli talvisodassa huoltojoukoissa, mutta lupautuminen vapaaehtoiseksi sissipartioon muutti hänen sotilasuransa. Parikymppisestä huimapäästä tuli kuulu motittaja ja sissipäällikkö, joista ansioista hänelle myönnettiin Mannerheim-risti. Pariin otteeseen hän oli Saksassa SS-joukoissa, mutta ilman suurempaa menestystä. Toisen maailmansodan jälkeen asekätkentäjupakan takia Törni tuomittiin vankilaan. Seurasi harhailuja ulkomailla, maailman merillä ja Etelä-Amerikassa. Siviilielämään sopeutumaton Törni kaipasi taisteluja, ja monen mutkan kautta ja Lex Törnin myötä hän sai Yhdysvaltain kansalaisuuden. Marttisten miehet kouluttivat sotilaasta vihreiden barettien sissijohtajan. Monen vuoden armeijakomennuksen jälkeen Pohjois-Vietnamin joukoille raskaita tappioita aiheuttaneen Törnin kohtaloksi koitui helikopterin törmäys vuoren seinämään kommandojoukkojen maahanlaskun jälkeisessä onnettomuudessa Laosissa huonon sään vuoksi.
Siviilielämää käsitellään monen läheisen näkökulmasta ja häntä kuvataan kohteliaaksi ja seuralliseksi mieheksi. Perisuomalaiseen tapaan alkoholi ja temperamenttinen luonne ei sovi yhteen. Törnistä saa käsityksen voittamattomana nyrkkisankarina, joka iskee kapakallisen baarikärpäsiä kanveesiin eri puolilla maailmaa, aina Harlemista lähtien. Kääntöpuolella on kerran elämässään kihloihin ajautunut miehenköriläs, joka ei pystynyt kuitenkaan sitoutumaan valittuunsa, vaan vuosia myöhemmin palattuaan entisen rakastettunsa luo huomaa heidän maailmojensa yhteensovittamattomuuden.
Kaiken kaikkiaan kirja tarjoaa hyvin toimitetun ja kirjoitetun lukunautinnon suomalaisesta sotilaslegendasta. Lukuisat kuvat päähenkilöstä ja kartat sotatantereelta tukevat hyvin kerrontaa. Lopulta Törnistä välittyy mitään pelkäämättömän, armottoman, kurittoman ja karskin sotilaan kuva, joka lienee vertaansa vailla.
August 1, 2020
Interesting story of a Finnish unusual Second World War hero. I read this book because I had heard about Finnish World War Two leaders many of them ending up escaping from Finland due to Russia winning that war and it desiring to punish military leaders severely. This book was given to me by my brother.
Törni was not as much of a hero in his days in Finland as when his story later became more known. This book is a biography of Lauri Törni, who in US was known as Larry Thorn . I liked the book because it talked about Finnish after-war history; politics and life. Those were not talked and not taught at school in Finland in 1960s. Törni was an interesting but also many ways typical Finnish character. His life was untypical.
What bothered me was the rough description of battles in the beginning part of the book.
Törni was not as much of a hero in his days in Finland as when his story later became more known. This book is a biography of Lauri Törni, who in US was known as Larry Thorn . I liked the book because it talked about Finnish after-war history; politics and life. Those were not talked and not taught at school in Finland in 1960s. Törni was an interesting but also many ways typical Finnish character. His life was untypical.
What bothered me was the rough description of battles in the beginning part of the book.
June 13, 2015
Hieno kirja. Upea tarina (ja vielä tosi). Mielenkiintoinen.
Harmi vain kun kieli (ainakin suomenkielisessä versiossa) on täyttä kuraa -_- Kieli ei toimi suurimman osan sivuista, toistoa on liikaa lukujen sisällä ja yltiöpäinen pomppailu sinne sun tänne tekevät lukemisesta kyllä vaikeaa ja haasteellista. On vaikea ymmärtää aivan kaikkea lukemaansa. Ja toki kirjoittajan amerikkalaisuus ja varsinkin muutamat vertaukset/viittaukset Amerikan tapahtumiin/järjestöihin ym. eivät oikein auta luetun ymmärtämistä. Mutta siitä joudun vain syyttämään omaa tietämättömyyttäni Amerikasta.
Ihan mielenkiintoista luettavaa kyllä! Aikamoinen mies se Lauri Törni oli! Täytyypä etsiä käsiin se elokuvakin (on kyllä niin elokuvauksellinen tarina hällä) ja katsoa millaisen kuvan siitä saa.
Harmi vain kun kieli (ainakin suomenkielisessä versiossa) on täyttä kuraa -_- Kieli ei toimi suurimman osan sivuista, toistoa on liikaa lukujen sisällä ja yltiöpäinen pomppailu sinne sun tänne tekevät lukemisesta kyllä vaikeaa ja haasteellista. On vaikea ymmärtää aivan kaikkea lukemaansa. Ja toki kirjoittajan amerikkalaisuus ja varsinkin muutamat vertaukset/viittaukset Amerikan tapahtumiin/järjestöihin ym. eivät oikein auta luetun ymmärtämistä. Mutta siitä joudun vain syyttämään omaa tietämättömyyttäni Amerikasta.
Ihan mielenkiintoista luettavaa kyllä! Aikamoinen mies se Lauri Törni oli! Täytyypä etsiä käsiin se elokuvakin (on kyllä niin elokuvauksellinen tarina hällä) ja katsoa millaisen kuvan siitä saa.
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July 3, 2016Damn good.
January 24, 2016
Ett fascinerande levnadsöde men boken i sig är inget märkvärdigt.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews