[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 54 (Monday, April 7, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S2634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, on March 25, 2008, we marked the 187th 
anniversary of Greek independence. Throughout 400 years of oppressive 
rule by the Ottoman Empire, the Greeks were able to maintain their 
language, religion, and their sense of identity. In 1821, the Greeks 
began an 8-year war of independence and in 1829 became the first 
country within the powerful Ottoman Empire to achieve its freedom. 
Today, Greece remains one of the oldest democracies in the world, a 
tribute to those brave Greek citizens who risked everything in the 
quest for liberty and freedom.
  Our own Founding Fathers were deeply influenced by the philosophers 
and statesmen of ancient Greece who first imagined the idea of a 
republic. The United States enjoys a long history of cooperation with 
our Greek friends, and we owe much of our civic foundations to the 
Greek concept that the power to govern is vested in the people.
  Throughout the 20th century, Greece has been a stalwart ally, and is 
one of only three countries in the world outside the British 
Commonwealth that has allied with the United States in every major 
international conflict. American and Greek soldiers have fought 
alongside each other in efforts to advance freedom, democracy, peace, 
and stability. In this century the Greece-U.S. relationship has 
deepened as the two countries have partnered to spread greater 
security, stability, and prosperity throughout the Mediterranean, 
Southeastern Europe, and the Caucasus. Today, Greek defense forces are 
deployed as part of the International Security Assistance Forces in 
Afghanistan, maintain two battalions of troops in Kosovo as part of the 
NATO peacekeeping force, train Iraqi military officers at the Multi-
National Peace Support Center, and provide logistical support to U.S. 
military forces throughout the Mediterranean region.
  The historic friendship between Greece and the United States has been 
one of mutual respect and support. In history they have inspired, and 
in the present they enliven our great Nation. It gives me great 
pleasure to join my colleagues as a cosponsor of S. Res. 476 
designating March 25, 2008, as ``Greek Independence Day: A National Day 
of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy.'' I send all Greek 
Americans my best wishes as we celebrate Greece's independence and 
contributions to our national heritage.

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