[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 25, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING 188TH ANNIVERSARY OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE

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                               speech of

                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 24, 2009

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 188th 
Anniversary of Greek Independence Day and the valiant Greek struggle to 
cast aside the shackles of imperial oppression. For those who believe 
in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, March 25, 1821, 
resonates through the annals of history as a seminal moment in the 
epoch of democracy.
  From ancient Greece the world came to speak of the founders of 
democratic thought--Cleisthenes, Themistocles, Pericles, Socrates, 
Plato, Aristotle and countless others. When our founding fathers 
contemplated the establishment of the United States of America they 
looked across time and geography to the shores of ancient Greece. 
Thomas Jefferson and others who studied the Democratic philosophies of 
the ancient Greeks knew that in their teachings lay the formula for a 
just and free society.
  In 1776 the sacred flame of liberty illuminated the shores of 
America, and when in 1821 the mother of democracy awoke and sought to 
liberate herself from the dark conquest that had befallen her, America 
cheered her on. During the Greek struggle for independence, many 
Americans felt a kindred spirit with the Greeks, and gave the name of a 
Greek Independence War hero to the town of Ypsilanti, Michigan.
  It is only natural that the fraternal bonds of liberty between 
America and Greece have been present from the first day of the 
establishment of each country. History shows that Greece is one of 
America's greatest allies, from the passing of the ancients' democratic 
philosophy to the modern Hellenic Republic's fighting alongside the USA 
in every major struggle since its inception.
  Long before the United States took on the Nazis in WWII, the only 
countries standing in the way of the Nazi onslaught were Greece and the 
United Kingdom. Greece paid a dear price for its steadfastness, losing 
10 percent of her entire population, and nearly all of the ancient 
Jewish Community of Thessaloniki. The heroic acts of the Greeks were 
evident everywhere, from the daring removal of the Nazi flag that 
floated above the Acropolis, to the unparalleled resistance movement 
that resulted in the first defeat of an Axis Army when the Greeks 
pushed Mussolini's troops across the Albanian frontier.
  Greece has come a long way in 188 years. In 2004 Greece did an 
outstanding job hosting the Olympics. She has been an important ally in 
the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and is the beacon of democracy in the 
Balkans, serving as one of the largest investors, business and job 
creators throughout all of Southeastern Europe.
  Greece is a proven democracy and proven ally of the United States. 
Greece is a country that can be counted on to support the high ideals 
of freedom and liberty, and is and always has been a staunch American 
ally.

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