Stig von Bayer

Early life Stig von Bayer came to Congo and the province Maniema in 1949 at age 12 with his parents who were aid workers who helped to build bridges and roads. He stayed there until 1954. There he learned both Swahili and French, a work that was led by his father, the forest officer Hans M Hansson. Back in Sweden he did his military service at the Södermanland Regiment (I 10) in Strängnäs.

Career

Congo In 1960 as a cadet sergeant at Södermanland Regiment, he volunteered for service on 19 July 1960. For three days von Bayer served as an interpreter with the 8th Swedish Infantry Battalion, which had been airlifted to Léopoldville directly from the Gaza Strip, where it had been serving as a part of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF). Glantz and von Bayer were awarded the Vasa Medal of the 8th size on 23 April 1964 and a special commendation from President Lyndon B. Johnson. In May 1964, von Bayer got his last assignment from the UN: liaison with Congolese forces trying to put down a revolt in Kivu region in the east. having spent three years and 319 days.

Later career After Congo von Bayer returned to Sweden as captain at Södermanland Regiment, but the same year he travelled with UNFICYP to Cyprus, where he stayed for four years. During the latter period of his life, von Bayer completed countless missions for the Red Cross, the UN and the EU including in Vietnam, Ethiopia, Sudan, Croatia and Peru. von Bayer was from mid-July 1968 to the end of January 1969 the Red Cross representative in South Vietnam. He was stationed in Quảng Trị, Huế, Quảng Tín, Quảng Ngãi and Da Nang provinces.

He became lieutenant the reserve of the Swedish Armoured Troops in 1967 and captain in 1972.

Personal life von Bayer lived as retired in Östra Frölunda and was a board member of the association UN Veterans Congo (FN-Veteranerna Kongo). At the Swedish Veterans Day on 29 May 2012 von Bayer was awarded the Swedish Armed Forces Medal for Wounded in Battle for the injuries he sustained in the Congo on 10 December 1961 when his hand was torn by shrapnel when Colonel Jonas Wærn's KP-bil were subjected to ambushes and hit by a bazooka rocket. Despite the injury von Bayer succeeded to combat the enemy's position so that the next rocket missed the target.

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Peacekeeper of the Year (2011)

Foreign