Vasile Milea

Vasile Milea (1 January 1927 – 22 December 1989) was a Romanian politician and general who served as the 75th Minister of National Defense of Romania from 1985 until his suicide in 1989. Milea was Nicolae Ceaușescu's Minister of Defense during the Romanian revolution of 1989 and was involved in the reprisal phase of the revolution that caused the deaths of 162 people.

Early life Vasile Milea was born in the commune of Lerești, Argeș County, Kingdom of Romania, on January 1, 1927. He graduated from high school and worked as a teacher. In 1947, he entered the infantry military school, graduating in May 1949 and receiving the rank of lieutenant. On September 20, 1957, he was accepted into the Romanian Workers' Party. After a large shortfall at Milea's place of service (approximately 700,000 Romanian leu) was discovered, he was dismissed from service, and on July 30, 1958, he was expelled from the party.

For several years, Milea worked in various military education departments. On October 6, 1960, following his application, he was reinstated in the party. On December 30, 1962, he was awarded the rank of colonel. In 1964, he was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the 6th Tank Division (1964-1965), then the 3rd Army (1965-1973). He commanded the Patriotic Guard from 1973 to 1978. On August 23, 1969, he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and in May 1977, colonel general. Since 1974, he was a candidate member of the Central Committee of the RCP, and since 1979, a member of the Central Committee of the RCP.

Minister of Defence Milea was appointed Minister of Defence, replacing Constantine Olteanu, in December 1985. Milea was in severe disfavour for sending troops to quell the uprising in Timișoara without ammunition and for his refusal to order the army to shoot the protestors who had gathered around the Central Committee building.

Death Milea committed suicide on 22 December 1989. His death is believed to have happened at about 10:40 a.m. Regardless, Milea's suicide caused the rank-and-file soldiers to go over en masse to the revolution, effectively ending the Communist rule in Romania. He was succeeded as Minister of Defence by Victor Stănculescu, who also disobeyed orders and returned the army to the barracks.

A report in 1989 indicated that he had been shot by Ceaușescu's Securitate,

Legacy

A boulevard in Sector 6 of Bucharest used to be named after him until 2021. A street in Ploiești is still named after him, as well as a central square in Pitești.

Awards

Order "23 August" III degree (1971) Order of the Star of Romania Order of Labor Order of the October Revolution (December 31, 1986)

Works

Vasile Milea, Victor Atanasiu, România în anii primului război mondial: caracterul drept, eliberator al participării României la război, vol. 2, Ed. Militară, Bucharest, 1987.