Franciszek Gągor (8 September 1951 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish general, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces between 2006 and 2010. He died in the

2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash On 10 April 2010, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft operating Polish Air Force Flight 101 crashed near the Russian city of Smolensk, killing List of casualties of the Smolensk air disaster, all 96 people on board. Among the victims were the president ...

near

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

with the

President of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

Lech Kaczyński Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 in an air crash. The aircraft carrying ...

Life and education

Gągor was born in 1951 in Koniuszowa near

Nowy Sącz Nowy Sącz (; ; ; ; ) is a city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County as a separate administrative unit. With a population of 83,116 as of 2021, it is the largest city in the Beskid S ...

. He attended the Artillery Officers' College at

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

in 1973. He also held qualifications at the

Adam Mickiewicz University Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam si ...

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

(1983 – Master of Arts degree in English philology); the National Defence University in Warsaw (1998 – doctorate in military science); the NATO Defense College (2001), and the National Defense University (2002) in Washington DC.

Military service

He served in the 2nd Tank Regiment in the 1973 as an officer in a Self-Propelled Artillery unit. Afterwards, he became an operations and executive officer responsible for planning and operational activities in

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

missions. In 1978 he was posted to the Mechanized Infantry Officer College in Wrocław, where he lectured on preparations and training of Polish contingents designated for peacekeeping operations until 1988 and, during that time, took an active part in UNDOF operations (1980–1981 and 1985–1986) as an operations officer. Between 1988 and 1990 General Gągor served at UNDOF HQ as Deputy Chief of Logistics. In 1991 he was an executive officer/second-in-command at the Polish Military Contingent for

Desert Storm , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

Operation. He later became the Deputy Sector Commander of UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation mission UNIKOM between 1991 and 1992. In 1993, as a Colonel, he became the Chief of Polish Armed Forces Peacekeeping Division of the Polish Armed Forces. He was a key member of the Polish Armed Forces preparations team for Polish accession to NATO, taking care of initial and first rounds of NATO Defence Planning for Poland. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in 1997. In August 2003, he returned to UNDOF after being appointed by then UN Secretary General

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...

as its head of mission and force commander. On 27 February 2006, Gagor was made Chief of General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces upon appointment by the President of Poland. He was promoted to General on 3 May 2006. Along with Krzysztof Paszkowski, he wrote the book: "Defense Doctrine of the Polish Republic for Peacekeeping Operations." Gen. Gągor is an author of numerous articles and publications on military affairs and co-operation, defence transformation and armed forces modernization.

Personal life

He was fluent in English, and communicated in French and Russian. He had an interest in history, English literature, skiing, tennis, volleyball and jogging. He was married to Lucyna and has two children, Katarzyna and Michał.

Promotions

Podporucznik ( Second lieutenant) - 1973 * Naramiennik Porucznik

Porucznik (

First lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

) - 1976 * Naramiennik Kapitan land

Kapitan (

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

) - 1980 * Naramiennik Major

Major (

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

) - 1985 * Naramiennik Podpulkownik

Podpułkownik ( Lieutenant colonel) - 1989 * Naramiennik Pulkownik

Pułkownik (

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

) - 1993 * Generał brygady ( Brigadier general) - 1997 * Generał dywizji ( Major general) - 2003 * Generał broni (

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

) - 2006 * Naramiennik General

Generał (

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

) - 2006

Medals and decorations

Grand Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

(2010,

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

) *

Officer's Cross

(2005) *

Knight's Cross

(1998) * Golden Cross of Merit * Golden Medal for Long Service * Golden Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland * Silver Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland * Bronze Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland * Golden Medal of Merit for National Defence * Silver Medal of Merit for National Defence * Bronze Medal of Merit for National Defence * Pro Memoria Medal * POL Med 100-lecia ustanowienia SG WP BAR

POL Med 100-lecia ustanowienia SG WP BAR

Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Establishment of the General Staff (2018, posthumously) * Medal of Merit for the Association of Veterans of UN Peace Missions * Legion Honneur Commandeur ribbon

Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(France, 17 December 2008, France) * US Legion of Merit Commander ribbon

Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

(USA, 22 May 2008) * POR Ordem do Merito Gra-Cruz BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

(Portugal, 1 September 2008) * CZE Cestny odznak Premysla Otakara II BAR

Honorary Badge of Premysl Otakar II (Czech Republic, 1 March 2007) *

Meritorious Service Cross The Meritorious Service Cross () is a State decoration, decoration that is, within the Orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Monarchy of Canada, Canadia ...

(Canada, 13 April 2011, posthumously) * Medal of the UN mission in UNEF II * UN Medal UNDOF mission * Medal of UNIKOM mission

References

External links

*
NATO Biographies
Jan. 08, 2008

May 5, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gagor, Franciszek 1951 births 2010 deaths Polish generals Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) UNDOF Force Commanders Commanders of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Legion of Merit Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit (Portugal) Recipients of the Meritorious Service Decoration Victims of the Smolensk air disaster Polish officials of the United Nations People from Nowy Sącz County Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań alumni