general bela Kiraly

[Ulsterman]

Here is a man who lived a full life: General Bela Kiraly PhD, Head of the Hungarian Defense College, hero of 1956, ex-Professor and New York socialite, fought in WW2 under Horthy, lead a Brigade until arrested in 1951 by Rakosi and sentenced to death, released in 1956-joined the revolution, fought the Russians again, escaped with the help of the CIA and now has a really interesting ribbon bar.

What is he wearing? Note the badge above his left breast.

He lives not far from you members there in Budapest.

Any chance for an interview?

Edited April 9, 2007 by Ulsterman

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsterman,

Interesting post. I do not recognize the badge pinned above his right breast pocket. The only award I can be sure of on his tunic easily is the left breast pocket which is for the Grand Cross for the Order of Merit for the Hungarian Republic, Military Grade. Only 15 Grand Crosses can be awarded annually. We'll work on the rest but some of the ribbons are hard to make out. Thanks very much for posting this interesting picture.

Regards,

Gordon