Jānis Balodis was an army officer and politician who was a principal figure in the foundation and government of independent Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

. He was commander in chief of the army and navy during the Latvian war of independence and later was a cabinet member and vice president. Balodis is recipient of the Latvian military Order of Lāčplēsis

Order of Lacplesis

The Order of Lāčplēsis, the first and the highest Latvian military award, was established in 1919 on the initiative of the Commander of Latvian Army, during the Latvian War of Independence, Jānis Balodis. The Lāčplēsis Order is awarded in the first, second and third class. Initially, a holder of...

, 2nd and 3rd class.

See also

• Latvian War of Independence
• Freikorps in the Baltic
  Freikorps in the Baltic
  After 1918, the term Freikorps was used for the paramilitary organizations that sprang up around the German Empire, including in the Baltic states as soldiers returned in defeat from World War I...
  
  
• West Russian Volunteer Army
  West Russian Volunteer Army
  The West Russian Volunteer Army or Bermontians was an army in the Baltic provinces of the former Russian Empire during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1920....