[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4050]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 194th 
anniversary of Greek independence.
  Citizens of Greece have always been a proud people, in body, mind, 
and spirit. From Pericles, the Greek statesman and general, dubbed 
``the first citizen of Athens''; to Plato, who laid a groundwork in 
philosophy so vast that the entirety of European philosophical 
tradition is said to simply be a footnote to his work; to Count Ioannis 
Kapodistrias, the first head of state of an independent Greece, Greeks 
have been exceptional.
  I am almost certain that Thomas Jefferson cast an eye across the 
Atlantic towards Greece when he uttered these words in 1821:
  ``The flames kindled on the 4th of July 1776 have spread over too 
much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of 
despotism. On the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who 
work them.''
  It is no coincidence that the Feast of Annunciation--Evangelismos--a 
commemoration of the conception of Jesus Christ, is also celebrated on 
March 25, just as Greek Independence Day is celebrated.
  I am blessed to be of two cultures that have been beacons of freedom 
for all of civilization: the place of my birth, the land of the free 
and the home of the brave, the United States of America; and the land 
of my ancestors, the birthplace of democracy, the Hellenic Republic.
  Many Greeks fought for years, holding on to their heritage, culture, 
and faith. Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the emblem of freedom for 
Hellenes, the flag bearing a white cross and nine blue and white 
stripes representing the nine letters in Eleftheria, meaning freedom.
  Eight years of bloodshed and battle led to the Treaty of Adrianople, 
the formal declaration of a free and independent Greece.
  Greece was the world's first advanced civilization, one that provided 
a cultural heritage that has influenced the world. Firsts in 
philosophy, mathematics, politics, sports, and art all stemmed from a 
free Greece.
  Liberty and justice, freedom to determine the path of one's own life, 
these are human desires, and they were embodied by Greece throughout 
their fight for independence.
  Those unyielding Hellenes paid life and limb for those desires, and 
generations of Greeks for decades to come owe their ancestors thanks.
  As George Washington once said:
  ``Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.''
  This held true in Greece in 1821, as it did in America in 1776.
  ``Freedom or Death'' was the battle cry of the revolutionaries nearly 
200 years ago. It rings true today. Freedom is a powerful and beautiful 
notion.
  The Greek people achieved that for themselves 194 years ago, and I am 
proud to celebrate in memory of those who fought bravely to shed the 
shackles of the Ottoman Empire.
  We celebrate Greek independence to reaffirm the common democratic 
heritage we share. And, as Americans, we must continue to pursue the 
spirit of freedom and liberty, which characterizes both of our great 
nations.
  God bless America. Long live Greece--Zito i Ellas.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Florida will provide the 
Clerk a translation of his remarks for the Record.

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