President’s Message
73 Years Ago - But Not Forgotten
A
John Sargetis
PAA President
[email protected]
4
KPHTH | May 2014
s Nazi paratroopers rained over Crete the
morning of May 20, 1941, an old man
told his friend “Let’s grab a knife, a club, anything and attack them.” These Cretan men
knew they were likely to be killed that day by
the German paratroopers, but they all agreed
that there is no better death than death fighting to save our “patrida” (our homeland).
I personally can’t imagine what was going
through their minds when they saw thousands
of parachutes in the sky, knowing they were
coming to invade and occupy the island. Just
as the men gathered to confront the invaders,
there were just as many women who shared
the same passion for Crete and freedom and
who fought alongside their husbands, fathers
and sons. This issue of KPHTH shares some of
their unimaginable stories during this horrific
episode of World War II.
As an island with 5,000 years of history of invasions and foreign rule, these brave men and
women chose to fight to the death to prevent
being taken over once again. The Cretans who
took up arms against the Nazis were not faceless ancestors we read about in history books.
They were our grandmothers, grandfathers,
great aunts and uncles. One day they lived in
peace and the next day confronted death. We
have all heard the phrase “freedom or death.”
These brave Cretans lived and breathed it
without hesitation.
For every man who fought and died or was
executed, there was a mother, wife, sister,
aunt or cousin who suffered the greatest tragedy to befall a living human being: the loss of
the child, a husband or close relative. Only
those who have suffered that loss could possi-
bly understand their pain. Yet, with the same
strength with which they fought the enemy,
they endured and continued to raise their
families and loved ones who survived.
How can we honor these men and women
for the heartbreaking pain, sacrifices and monumental difficulties they endured through
these dark days? We can emulate their spirit
in the way we raise our own children and live
our lives. Our thanks to them is to remember
them as we say in Greek, “eonea e mnemee”
(may their memory be eternal) because a person is not truly dead until their name is no
longer spoken. There are many of us here today who are grandchildren of those who survived and have gone on to become mothers
and fathers. We have these men and women
to thank for the success of our own journeys
in life.
Thank you Salt Lake City!
On behalf of the entire board, I want to thank
the Salt Lake City chapters for going the extra
mile while hosting us during our recent board
meeting. Their warm welcome and Cretan
hospitality made us all feel like one big family.
If this is any indication of what’s in store for us
at the PAA national convention next summer,
we will all have the time of our lives! Make
your plans now to join us in Salt Lake City and
experience t