Roland Lajoie

Roland Lajoie (August 11, 1936 – October 28, 2023) was a United States Army officer who served two tours in Vietnam and then in a variety of diplomatic and Cold War assignments. After retiring from the Army, he oversaw U.S. assistance and monitoring in former Soviet states as they decommissioned nuclear forces.

Early life and education Lajoie was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. He was of French Canadian ancestry, and his family spoke French at home. He spoke French fluently and also spoke Russian fluently as an adult. He attended the University of New Hampshire as an undergraduate, earning a bachelor's degree in government. He would later earn a master's degree in Russian history from the University of Colorado in 1971.

Career Lajoie was commissioned as an army officer in 1958, immediately after graduating from college. He served two tours in Vietnam. Afterwards, he served as a military attaché in Moscow.

During the 1980 to 1981 academic year, he was a research fellow at Harvard University.

Personal life and death Lajoie married JoAnn Sinibaldi in 1961. They had a son and two daughters.

Roland Lajoie died in Manchester, New Hampshire, October 28, 2023, at the age of 87.