[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 47 (Tuesday, March 25, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CELEBRATING GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DINA TITUS

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 25, 2014

  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the only Hellenic-American 
woman serving in Congress, to recognize and celebrate Greek 
Independence Day.
  This holiday commemorates the Greek people's victory in their 
struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. It is a day 
of singing praise, dancing, eating, and paying homage to those who 
fought so bravely to restore democracy to its birthplace. As Sir 
Winston Churchill said during World War II, ``Hence you will not say 
that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks.''
  This is also a day for honoring the strong bonds that have long 
existed between Greece and the United States. Our form of democratic 
government owes much to the principles established in Ancient Greece 
and our international success today relies on Greece as a valued NATO 
ally.
  Our culture has also been influenced by Hellenic art, architecture, 
and letters dating back to the days of Homer and Euripides, Sophocles 
and Hippocrates. As President James Monroe said, ``The mention of 
Greece fills the mind with the most exalted sentiments.''
  So today let us reaffirm our support for Greece in good times and 
trying circumstances. And let me encourage my colleagues to visit 
Greece and experience for themselves the beauty of the land, the power 
of the antiquities, and the warmth of the people.

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