Jonas Variakojis was a Lithuanian army officer.

Variakojis was studying law at the University of St. Petersburg when he was mobilized into the Russian army and sent to the Austrian front during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. In December 1918 he returned to Lithuania and joined the newly organized Lithuanian army, preparing to defend Lithuania against the Red Army

Red Army

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

 during the Lithuanian–Soviet War

Lithuanian–Soviet War

The Lithuanian–Soviet War or Lithuanian–Bolshevik War was fought between newly independent Lithuania and the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic in the aftermath of World War I. It was part of the larger Soviet westward offensive of 1918–1919...

. Variakojis was ordered to organize defense of Panevėžys

Panevežys

Panevėžys see also other names, is the fifth largest city in Lithuania. As of 2008, it occupied 50 square kilometers with 113,653 inhabitants. The largest multifunctional arena in Panevėžys is the Cido Arena...

 district. On February 7, 1919 he led the first Lithuanian battles against the Soviets near Kėdainiai

Kedainiai

Kėdainiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania. It is located on the Nevėžis River. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, its population as of 2008 was 30,214. Its old town dates to the 17th century....

. The Soviet advance was stopped, preventing them from capturing Kaunas

Kaunas

Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...

, the temporary capital of Lithuania

Temporary capital of Lithuania

The temporary capital of Lithuania was the official designation of the city of Kaunas in Lithuania during the interwar period. It was in contrast to the declared capital in Vilnius , which was under Polish control from 1920 until 1939...

.

Variakojis and his unit, which later evolved into the 4th Infantry Regiment, continued to combat the Soviets. They were also deployed against Poland during the Polish–Lithuanian War

Polish–Lithuanian War

The Polish–Lithuanian War was an armed conflict between newly independent Lithuania and Poland in the aftermath of World War I. The conflict primarily concerned territorial control of the Vilnius Region, including Vilnius , and the Suwałki Region, including the towns of Suwałki, Augustów, and Sejny...

. For his distinguished services during the Lithuanian Wars of Independence he was awarded several military orders, including the Order of the Cross of Vytis

Order of the Cross of Vytis

The Order of the Cross of Vytis is a Lithuanian Presidential Award conferred on people who heroically defended Lithuania’s freedom and independence.-History:...

. In 1926 he retired from active military duty. Between 1928 and 1930 he briefly served of Minister of Communications and Minister of Defense. At the end of World War II he retreated to Germany and then immigrated to the United States, where he died in 1963.