Lietuvos kariuomenės kūrėjas savanoris Antanas Gritėnas (1894-1934)

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Antanas Gritėnas; Antanas Gritėnas; Kriminalinis nusikaltimas; Lietuvos kariuomenės savanoris; Lietuvos policija; Policininkas; Šventežeris; Antanas Gritėnas; Antanas Gritėnas (1894–1934); Criminal case; Lithuanian police; Policemen; Volunteer of Lithuanian army; Šventežeris.

ENAntanas Gritėnas was born on December 11, 1894 in Petriškiai, the village in the Panevėžys district. His parents Adomas and Elžbieta Gritėnai were farmers. He finished primary school. He spoke Polish and Russian. On 9 March 1919 he began service in the District Militia of Kėdainiai. Gritėnas worked as a secretary, senior police officer and head of the station. On 24 November 1920 he joined the Lithuanian Army as a volunteer, where he served as a private in the Kėdainiai District until 2 April 1921. From 1921 to 1926 he worked as the Deputy Chief of Police in the districts of Kėdainiai, Kaunas and Telšiai. Since 15 January 1927 he was a senior police officer at the Seinai County Police Headquarters in Veisiejai. In 1928 he served as a senior police officer at the Seinai County Police Station in Kapčiamiestis. He was promoted to Deputy Chief of Police on 1 June 1930. In 1932 he served as the Deputy Chief at the Seinai county police station in Rudamina. On 1 August 1932 he was appointed Chief of Police for the second degree station in Punskas in Seinai county, headquartered in Sangrūda. From 15 February 1934 he was the Chief for the Seinai county police station in Šventežeris. A. Gritėnas graduated in the first class of the Militia School (15 March 1923). In 1931 he graduated from the Police Academy in Kaunas (14th class), then completed a course for the station chiefs (6th class). On 9 June 1928 he was awarded the title and the Medal of the Founding Volunteers of the Lithuanian Army (Certificate No. 297). On 15 May 1928 he received the Independence Medal.On 9 December 1934 the Commander of the Lithuanian Rifle Association presented him with a second degree badge for shooting. A. Gritėnas actively participated in his community. He belonged to the Association of Riflemen of Lithuania (a unit in Šventežeris), the Association of Volunteering Founders of the Lithuanian Army (the Seinai branch), the Association for the Liberation of Vilnius (a branch in Šventežeris), the Sports Club of the Lithuanian Police (the shooting section), and the Lithuanian Hunting and Fishing Assosiation (the Seinai branch). On 15 December 1934, around 6:30 a.m., A. Gritėnas went hunting. Within 100 meters from his house he was shot dead. The wagon with his body had been pulled five additional kilometres, from Šventežeris towards Lazdijai, before it was spotted by bus passengers who reported the murder to the police. In the presence of an investigating officer, the district doctor stated that A. Gritėnas was killed by a wound to the head. The shot was at close range, which mutilated the skull. A. Gritėnas was buried in the cemetery of the Šventežeris parish. He was survived by his wife Sofija (b. 1892) and two daughters Eugenija (b. 1922) and Kunigunda Vida (b. 1932). Around 1936 a concrete monument with a statue of 'Christ kneeling beneath the cross' was erected for A. Gritėnas. However, the monument was in a terrible state till the summer of 2014. The sculpture was cracked and the cross was broken. [...]. [From the publication]