Career
Born in Helsinki, Ehrnrooth entered cadet school in 1922 and served in the Uusimaa Dragoon Regiment (Uudenmaan Rakuunarykmentti). They had three children: Karin, Hans and Eva. During the brief Winter War against Russia, he served on the staffs of the 7th Division and the Cavalry Brigade.
When the Continuation War, also against Russia, broke out in June 1941, he served as the chief of staff of the 2nd Division until he was seriously wounded.
After he recovered he was appointed to lead the 7th Infantry regiment (JR 7) of the 2nd Division. During the battles on the Karelian Isthmus, he was awarded the Mannerheim cross.
After the war, he led an active military career until he retired in 1965. Adolf Ehrnrooth was the face and voice most associated with rehabilitation of the soldiers who secured Finland her independence.
The long post-war era during which it simply was not progressive to value the military ended in the early 1990s, at which time his charismatic persona was at its height.
He became a figurehead for the whole veteran community—straight-talking and unapologetic. When he found out that many nationalist youths cited him as an idol, he blasted them squarely by saying that he might have in his own youth held nationalistic views, but that Finland"s path was now in the European Union, a view the nationalists did not hold. Voice impressionists have found his idiosyncratically emphasized speech patterns and overheavily guttural snarls a rich ground to harvest.
Foreign them he is one of the indispensable voices.
In his last statement he gave support to ProKarelia (Finnish non-governmental organization) and its plan for the Return of Ceded Territories. General Ehrnrooth died on 26 February 2004, and is buried in Hietaniemi cemetery, Helsinki.
He was voted as the 4th greatest Finn of all time by the Finnish public during the Suuret suomalaiset (Great Finns) competition in 2004.