Makedonia25
12-02-2005, 04:52 PM
A U.S VIEW OF GREEK INDEPENDENCE DAY
WHEREAS, the ancient Greeks developed the concept of democracy, in which the supreme power to govern was vested in the people; and the ancient Greeks established the Olympic Games, the largest display of athletic skill and competitive spirit in the ancient world; and
WHEREAS, the Founding Fathers of the United States drew heavily on the political experience and philosophy of ancient Greece in forming our representative democracy; and
WHEREAS, the story of Greek military tactics used at the Battle of Marathon is 490 B.C. is still mandatory reading at the National War College in Washington, DC; and Greek soldiers were with the United States Marines on the shores of Tripoli in the military operations memorialized in the United States Marines’ Hymn; and
WHEREAS, many Americans fought alongside the Greeks in their fight for Greek independence, while stirring speeches by President James Monroe and Daniel Webster led the Congress to send funds and supplies to aid the Greeks in the struggle for freedom; and
WHEREAS, Greek Commander-in-Chief Petros Mavromichalis, a founder of the modern Greek state, said to the citizens of the United States in 1821, “it is in your land that liberty has fixed her abode…in imitating you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of them if we succeed in resembling you”; and
WHEREAS, Greece is one of only three nations in the world, beyond the former British Empire, that has been allied with the United States in every major international conflict in the twentieth century, including World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and the Balkans; and Greece played a major role in the World War II struggle to protect freedom and democracy through such bravery as was shown in the historic Battle of Crete and in Greece, presenting the Axis land war with its first major setback; and
WHEREAS, Sir Winston Churchill said of the Greeks after this fighting, “Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks”; and
WHEREAS, the author of a military history said, “The campaign in Greece and in Crete forced Hitler to postpone the invasion of Russia…and to fight a winter campaign…which brought Hitler’s war machine to a standstill; and
WHEREAS, the government of Greece has declared its solidarity with the American people and has pledged to back efforts to combat and eradicate terrorism in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on the United States of America; and Greece and the United States of America are at the forefront of the effort for freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and human rights; and
WHEREAS, those and other ideals have forged a close bond between our two nations and their peoples; and
WHEREAS, MARCH 25, 2005, marks the 184th Anniversary of the beginning of the revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire; and it is proper and desirable to celebrate with the Greek people and to reaffirm the democratic principles from which our two great nations were born;
WHEREAS, the ancient Greeks developed the concept of democracy, in which the supreme power to govern was vested in the people; and the ancient Greeks established the Olympic Games, the largest display of athletic skill and competitive spirit in the ancient world; and
WHEREAS, the Founding Fathers of the United States drew heavily on the political experience and philosophy of ancient Greece in forming our representative democracy; and
WHEREAS, the story of Greek military tactics used at the Battle of Marathon is 490 B.C. is still mandatory reading at the National War College in Washington, DC; and Greek soldiers were with the United States Marines on the shores of Tripoli in the military operations memorialized in the United States Marines’ Hymn; and
WHEREAS, many Americans fought alongside the Greeks in their fight for Greek independence, while stirring speeches by President James Monroe and Daniel Webster led the Congress to send funds and supplies to aid the Greeks in the struggle for freedom; and
WHEREAS, Greek Commander-in-Chief Petros Mavromichalis, a founder of the modern Greek state, said to the citizens of the United States in 1821, “it is in your land that liberty has fixed her abode…in imitating you, we shall imitate our ancestors and be thought worthy of them if we succeed in resembling you”; and
WHEREAS, Greece is one of only three nations in the world, beyond the former British Empire, that has been allied with the United States in every major international conflict in the twentieth century, including World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and the Balkans; and Greece played a major role in the World War II struggle to protect freedom and democracy through such bravery as was shown in the historic Battle of Crete and in Greece, presenting the Axis land war with its first major setback; and
WHEREAS, Sir Winston Churchill said of the Greeks after this fighting, “Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks”; and
WHEREAS, the author of a military history said, “The campaign in Greece and in Crete forced Hitler to postpone the invasion of Russia…and to fight a winter campaign…which brought Hitler’s war machine to a standstill; and
WHEREAS, the government of Greece has declared its solidarity with the American people and has pledged to back efforts to combat and eradicate terrorism in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on the United States of America; and Greece and the United States of America are at the forefront of the effort for freedom, democracy, peace, stability, and human rights; and
WHEREAS, those and other ideals have forged a close bond between our two nations and their peoples; and
WHEREAS, MARCH 25, 2005, marks the 184th Anniversary of the beginning of the revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman Empire; and it is proper and desirable to celebrate with the Greek people and to reaffirm the democratic principles from which our two great nations were born;