Gunnar Eklund

Eklund was born on 21 March 1920 in Stockholm, the son of lieutenant Carl Eklund and his wife Sally (née Karlsson). As a child in a non-commissioned officer family in the Coastal Artillery, he moved between different garrisons from an early age, but he passed studentexamen in Stockholm in 1938. ==Career==

Military career Eklund became second lieutenant in the Gotland Coastal Artillery Corps (KA 3) in 1941 and during his first years, he served in units with high preparedness in Stockholm's outer archipelago and passed its staff and artillery course from 1947 to 1949 and was promoted to captain in 1948. He served in the Defence Staff and was teacher at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1949 to 1954 as well as served as acting teacher at the Swedish National Defence College from 1952 to 1954. Eklund was Chief of the Defence Staff from 1 October 1972 to 30 September 1976 and then military commander of the Eastern Military District (Milo Ö) as well as Commandant General in Stockholm from 1 October 1976 to 1982 when he retired from active service. Other work Eklund was a member of Gotland's Coastal Artillery Corps' shooting association from 1942, member of the board and leader of the pistol shooting section leader, and member of the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment's shooting association and the Royal Swedish Naval Academy's shooting association. Eklund was editor of the journal Kustartilleriet ("The Coastal Artillery") from 1954 to 1960 and co-editor of Öst och Väst och Vi in 1957. He was a board member of the Marinlitteraturföreningen ("Naval Literature Association") and the Försvarspolitiskt forum ("Defence Policy Forum Association"). Eklund became a member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences in 1962 and in 1966 he became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. Eklund was a member of the Swedish delegation in the Disarmament Conference in Geneva from 1963 to 1965 and chairman of the Section II, Naval Warfare Studies of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences from 1970 to 1972 as well as military expert in the 1972 Defence Investigation. Furthermore, Eklund was chairman of the Swedish Military Sports Association (Sveriges militära idrottsförbund) from 1972 to 1984 and he was president of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences from 1982 to 1985. After his retirement, he worked as chairman of the Officers' Association for Older Officers (Officersföreningen för äldre officerare) and in the Retired Officers Association (Föreningen Pensionerade Officerare). He was also elected municipal politician in Danderyd from 1983 to 1988. ==Personal life==

On 31 December 1942 he married Marianne Cecil Elisabet von Malmborg (1920–2004), ==Death==

Eklund died on 11 January 2010 in Danderyd and the funeral service took place in Danderyd Church on 12 February 2010. ==Dates of rank==

• 1941 – Second lieutenant • 1943 – Lieutenant • 1948 – Captain • 1957 – Major • 1960 – Lieutenant colonel • 1962 – Colonel • 1966 – Senior colonel • 1970 – Major general • 1 October 1972 – Lieutenant general ==Awards and decorations==

Swedish • Commander 1st Class of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1969) • Commander of the Order of the Sword (6 June 1966) • Knight of the Order of the Sword (1959) • Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commemorative Medal Foreign • Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland ==References==