To the Journal editor:

The Soviet Union invaded Finland on Nov. 30, 1939. Leaders in Moscow expected a quick victory and submissive population. The Finnish people greeted Soviet commissar of foreign affairs Vyacheslav Molotov with special cocktails.

Molotov cocktails, improvised incendiary devices made from bottled gasoline, remain symbols of resistance to this day.

It is sometimes said Finland is not a country with an army, but an army with a country. That reputation was earned during the Winter War. Everyone contributed to the defense effort as they were able.

Old women helped burn down their own houses to deny shelter to the advancing enemy. Children silently skied forest trails, spying on Soviet columns. Sharp-eyed teenagers scanned the sky for planes.

Finnish fighters conceptually segmented Soviet forces into mottis, a Finnish word referring to bundles of logs to be cut into firewood. Their reliable Soumi submachine guns ran like chainsaws.

After the war some defenders suffered PTSD from killing so many ill-trained, ill-equipped Soviet conscripts. In the moment, though, what could they do? What would anyone do to protect their country?

Many people from the Upper Peninsula gave material support to the defense of Finland, sending essential goods to their relatives.

People here are still proud they helped. Sisu, a Finnish term for grit, perseverance, and determination, is a household word in the U.P.

Please welcome Finland to NATO. If Russia ever invades Finland again, sisu will be a household term around the world.