World War I and World War II were the most devastating conflicts to ever affect mankind. The death and devastation were beyond imagination. Soldiers, families and entire groups of people were lost. However, these wars produced an amazing generation of brave men and women who sacrificed themselves to fight against tyranny and fight for freedom.
Two of these brave men were my great uncles that fought during WWII in Greece. One was an airplane pilot and the other fought as part of the resistance movement against the occupying German Army in Samos. My great uncle John Stefanou on my father’s side was the oldest child of five. Even though he came from a poor family, he wanted to help the war cause and signed up to be a pilot with the British Royal Air Force (RAF). In 1942, he was stationed in the Middle East in 1942 where he flew Vickers Wellington bomber aeroplanes. He was a great pilot and flew many missions during the war. The aircraft repelled a number of attacking enemy planes and even shot some down. It was very dangerous and his family worried that he would not survive. Uncle John survived the war, but died in an unfortunate accident during a 1946 air show when his plane experienced engine failure, crashed and killing the whole crew. His family was devastated and they never recovered from the loss. My grand parents named my father John in memory of Uncle John.
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My great uncle Kosta Saklas on my paternal grandmother’s side, was quite a character. During the war, he gathered enemy information and would pass it onto the hidden Greek resistance forces. It was very dangerous as he could have been shot by the Germans for doing this. Uncle Kosta was captured, held as a prisoner of war, escaped twice and was recaptured twice. The Germans warned him that if he attempted to escape again, he would suffer a painful torture. My uncle was determined to escape again and he did. When he was recaptured by the Germans, they tortured him by ripping out some of his toenails and fingernails. His wounds became infected, so they placed him in a hospital for treatment. Uncle Kosta fell in love with the Greek nurse who cared for him. They devised a plan and she snuck him out of the hospital to safety. He repaid her kindness by marrying her and having a family later in life.
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After the war, my great uncle Kosta decided to dedicate his life to making people happy with his music and singing. He became quite well known and went by the stage name “O Samiotakis” (Editor’s note, this was the same stage name used by another Samian at the time – Kostas Rakounas).
Future generations have men like my uncles to thank for basic freedoms that we all take for granted. For without these sacrifices the world would be a different place.
* Elena Stefanou, aged 13, first submitted the above contribution to the Hellenic Memorial school competition entry. She won second prize in her category. Her article first appeared on O Apostratos newsletter of the Hellenic RSL.