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2012 Speeches and Articles

American Legion Building Ceremony

Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Daniel B. Smith
April 24, 2012

It is a privilege for me to be here today at what is perhaps the finest and most public example of the long history of cooperation between Greece and The American Legion.
The obelisk commemorating the contributions of American soldiers to Greece stands right across the street from the residence of the American Ambassador, my house, just up the road.  It is a reminder of the long history of mutual support and cooperation, “συνεργασία” - literally working together – of our two nations.  
The very first Legion post was established in Washington, DC in 1919.  It was only 11 years later, in 1930, that Athens Post No. 1 was incorporated.  The building at number 9 Tsiraeon Street has been the headquarters of the Legion in Greece since 1940.
Many of those who fought in the Great War were the sons of recent immigrants to the United States, and many were Greek Americans, whose families had settled in towns all along the Eastern Seaboard.  One of them was George Dilboy, who saved countless lives in Belleau Wood in France, when he single-handedly destroyed a German machine gun nest.  He was the first Greek-American to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor and he is buried in Arlington Cemetery.  Greeks and Americans of course went on to defend our nations and our ideals and reject tyranny and hatred when we fought as allies in WWII.  
Most Americans know The Legion not because they have served in the military during wartime, but because they have benefitted from it during peacetime.  The Legion’s founders, themselves survivors of the horrors of WWI, foresaw the need for programs which would support veterans upon their return home and help them to reintegrate into their communities.  This grew into sports programs, scholarships, national programs which encourage public service, a Child Welfare Organization and much more.  
The American Legion’s charter has ten Purposes.  I’d like to read you two of them, which I feel Athens Post No. 1 has honored both generally in their roughly 80 years of service here in Greece and specifically today.
“To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.”  And  “to inculcate a sense of the individual obligation to the community, state and nation.”   
In making the decision to donate their home of over 70 years to the City of Athens, Post No. 1 has embodied helpfulness and devotion to this community.  Their actions mirror the Legion’s vital partnership with hundreds of communities and local governments all across the United States.  That they are cooperating with the City to create a home for those who have none, is most appropriate in a country famous for its welcoming hospitality.   
I would like to thank both  Mayor Kaminis and Athens Post No. 1 Commander, Elias Pendias, for their dedication to bringing this important effort to fruition and for giving us the opportunity to be part of today’s ceremony.  

It is a privilege for me to be here today at what is perhaps the finest and most public example of the long history of cooperation between Greece and The American Legion.

The obelisk commemorating the contributions of American soldiers to Greece stands right across the street from the residence of the American Ambassador, my house, just up the road.  It is a reminder of the long history of mutual support and cooperation, “συνεργασία” - literally working together – of our two nations.

The very first Legion post was established in Washington, DC in 1919.  It was only 11 years later, in 1930, that Athens Post No. 1 was incorporated.  The building at number 9 Tsiraeon Street has been the headquarters of the Legion in Greece since 1940.

Many of those who fought in the Great War were the sons of recent immigrants to the United States, and many were Greek Americans, whose families had settled in towns all along the Eastern Seaboard.  One of them was George Dilboy, who saved countless lives in Belleau Wood in France, when he single-handedly destroyed a German machine gun nest.  He was the first Greek-American to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor and he is buried in Arlington Cemetery.  Greeks and Americans of course went on to defend our nations and our ideals and reject tyranny and hatred when we fought as allies in WWII.

Most Americans know The Legion not because they have served in the military during wartime, but because they have benefitted from it during peacetime.  The Legion’s founders, themselves survivors of the horrors of WWI, foresaw the need for programs which would support veterans upon their return home and help them to reintegrate into their communities.  This grew into sports programs, scholarships, national programs which encourage public service, a Child Welfare Organization and much more.

The American Legion’s charter has ten Purposes.  I’d like to read you two of them, which I feel Athens Post No. 1 has honored both generally in their roughly 80 years of service here in Greece and specifically today.
“To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.”  And  “to inculcate a sense of the individual obligation to the community, state and nation.”   

In making the decision to donate their home of over 70 years to the City of Athens, Post No. 1 has embodied helpfulness and devotion to this community.  Their actions mirror the Legion’s vital partnership with hundreds of communities and local governments all across the United States.  That they are cooperating with the City to create a home for those who have none, is most appropriate in a country famous for its welcoming hospitality.

I would like to thank both  Mayor Kaminis and Athens Post No. 1 Commander, Elias Pendias, for their dedication to bringing this important effort to fruition and for giving us the opportunity to be part of today’s ceremony.