Honoring a legacy of courage and service on November 2, 2025
On 2 November 2025, members of the Klaipėda Unit of the Lithuanian National Guard gathered at the St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, to honor General Stasys Dirmantas – a man whose life embodied patriotism, scholarship, and devotion to Lithuania.
To mark the 138th anniversary of his birth, they lit candles in his memory, paying tribute to the Lithuanian volunteer whose steadfast service helped lay the foundation of the modern Lithuanian Armed Forces.
The act of remembrance, organized by the Klaipėda Unit during its visit to Lithuanian graves in the United States, connected generations of defenders. It reminded participants and observers alike that the values Dirmantas stood for – discipline, knowledge, and courage – remain the moral compass of Lithuania’s National Guard today.
Early Years: Born in the Shadow of Empire
Stasys Dirmantas was born on 2 November 1887 in Raseiniai, then part of the Russian Empire. He grew up in a time when the Lithuanian language was banned in print and national identity was suppressed. Dirmantas attended schools in Skaudvilė, Šilalė, and Warsaw, where he first felt the spirit of Lithuanian resistance and independence.
During the 1905 Revolution, he became active in distributing forbidden Lithuanian literature and supporting underground movements. This was risky work, and Dirmantas narrowly avoided arrest. It was in these years that he showed both intellectual curiosity and an early sense of national duty.
After graduating from the Vilnius Real Gymnasium in 1908, Dirmantas chose to enlist voluntarily in the Russian Imperial Army, seeking practical training and a path that would later help him serve Lithuania in a military capacity.
Education and Expertise: Building a Mind for Service
In 1909, Dirmantas entered the Konstantin Geodesy Institute in Moscow, one of the Russian Empire’s leading technical universities. He graduated in 1914 as a geodetic engineer, a discipline that blended mathematics, surveying, and geography. Shortly after graduation, he was invited to teach at the Tomsk Technological Institute in Siberia.
This period laid the groundwork for Dirmantas’s lifelong contribution to military education. His precise mind and methodical approach to terrain analysis would later become invaluable to Lithuania’s army and universities.
He combined technical expertise with a strong ethical compass – qualities that later defined his leadership style in the Ministry of National Defence and in the Lithuanian Riflemen’s movement.
World War I: The Trial of Fire
When the First World War began, Dirmantas was mobilized into the Russian Imperial Army as an engineering officer. On 13 August 1914, his unit crossed into East Prussia, taking part in the Battle of Tannenberg. It was one of the most significant early battles on the Eastern Front, and Dirmantas saw firsthand the chaos and devastation of modern warfare.
In 1915, he survived gas attacks, one of the deadliest innovations of the conflict. Despite these dangers, he continued to serve with distinction in the engineering corps, constructing roads and fortifications across East Prussia, Grodno, Białystok, Łomża, and later Poland and Romania.
For his service, Dirmantas received two Orders of St. Anna and two Orders of St. Stanislaus, each awarded “with swords” – a mark reserved for bravery in combat. His time on the front lines tested his endurance but strengthened his resolve to see Lithuania free and self-reliant.
Return to an Emerging Nation (1918)
By the end of 1918, as empires collapsed and new nations emerged, Dirmantas returned home. Lithuania had declared independence that February, and he quickly joined efforts to rebuild the country’s civil and military institutions.
He was appointed agricultural envoy for the Ministry of Agriculture in the Ukmergė and Vilnius regions and later became forest warden in Ukmergė. Though far from the front, these posts were vital to restoring order in a country emerging from war and occupation.
His technical knowledge and leadership made him a respected figure in state service, setting the stage for his later work in organizing military education, technical training, and national defense reforms.
Commemoration: A Nation Remembers
The commemoration held on 2 November 2025 at the St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois, was more than a ceremonial act – it was a bridge between history and the present. As members of the Klaipėda Unit of the Lithuanian National Guard lit candles to honor Dirmantas’s memory, they renewed the enduring spirit of Lithuanian volunteerism and service abroad.
Modern guardsmen stood in reflection, acknowledging that their mission continues the legacy of figures like General Dirmantas, who blended technical skill with moral conviction. His life’s story, stretching from Raseiniai to the battlefields of Europe, and later into the classrooms and ministries of a new Lithuania, remains a cornerstone of the nation’s military heritage.
This simple yet powerful gesture on his 138th birthday reaffirmed Lithuania’s respect for its founding defenders – those who built the nation through intellect, honor, and unwavering faith in freedom.
Legacy of the Early Years
The story of General Dirmantas is not just about one man’s achievements. It is the story of a generation that turned education and courage into the tools of independence. His contributions to geodesy, military science, and defense organization left a legacy that shaped both the army and Lithuania’s academic institutions.
Through remembrance, events like the 2025 Klaipėda Unit commemoration in Chicago, Illinois, remind us that the nation’s strength lies in the dedication of those who served it with intellect, precision, and loyalty. Dirmantas’s name continues to stand for the values that define Lithuania’s defenders – honor, service, and the pursuit of freedom.
Information provided by:
Stasys Ignatavičius
V. Putvinskis-Pūtvis Club President
Series Index
- Article 2: Reformer of Lithuania’s Armed Forces (1919–1938)
- Article 3: Exile, Scholarship, and Legacy (1940–1975)
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