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- Ελληνικά
Feelings of emotion and national pride led our steps today to the Holy Church of Cosmas the Aetolian, to pay the minimum tribute and gratitude to two unfortunate children of Cyprus. Two heroes of the unprecedented and unspeakable tragedy, which shook the whole of Cyprus on the tragic dawn of 11 July 2011.
Today we lay wreaths of honour and gratitude and commemorate Commander Commander Andreas Ioannidis and Lieutenant Kleanthis Kleanthous.
At the same time we reverently bow our heads and with immense respect we pray to the Most High for the repose of the souls of the other victims of the tragedy: Captain Lambros Lambros, Petty Officer Michalis Irakleous, Petty Officer Antonis Charalambous, the twin brothers Petty Officers Christos and Miltos Christoforou, Lieutenant Andreas Papadopoulos and Sergeants George Yiakoumis, Spyros Tantatis, Adamos Adamos, Vassilis Krokos and Panagiotis Theofilou.
Captain Andreas Ioannidis and Lieutenant Kleanthis Kleanthous were two spirited members of the Navy of the National Guard (NF). Faithful to the oath they took to their country, they carried out their mission to the fullest extent, implementing in practice what Pericles said, "the happy the free, the free the spirited".
The comprehensive speech of the ancient Greek politician and general, which brilliantly condenses the greatness of the ancient Greek spirit, is crystallized through the sacrifice of the two heroes we honour today.
Only the free can be noble, and only the passionate, the daring, the brave can be truly free.
Pericles' famous phrase combines three dominant Greek concepts: eudaimonia, freedom and bravery.
You know, bliss does not lie solely in personal success and happiness. It arises mainly from the awareness that by your actions you are making your fellow human beings blissful. And in many of our remarkable and laudable achievements cause us not joy and satisfaction, but pain.
The basic condition of bliss is man's personal ability to be free, unconstrained, unconstrained. And free in this sense is the brave, the spirited, the one who sees beyond the narrow limits of his own self-interest, beyond the small and temporary. He who faces the challenges and adversities that arise with fortitude. He who dares to defend at all costs his principles, values and ideals, even when it is extremely difficult or dangerous to do so.
Commander Andreas Ioannidis and Lieutenant Kleanthis Kleanthous were free in every respect. They rose to the occasion, far from fear. They put the common good first, above all personal expectations and ambition. They were as brave as very few.
And when you truly possess bravery, those around you notice. They perceive it in the constitution of your thought, in your speech, in your look, in the way you act in every circumstance. They perceive your inner drive for great and high ideals. The impulse that directs you toward the morally superior.
Spirituality as a concept is not only an inner state that affects the life of the one who bears it as a characteristic. It is a force that affects others, inspiring and awe-inspiring at the same time.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, with pain in our souls, we return mentally to the site of the Naval Base "Evangelos Florakis", consecrated by the supreme sacrifice of the 13 heroic martyrs of Cyprus.
This year again, we express our apologies for everything that the State ought to do, but did not do. For which it should have known and did not know. Which it ought to have foreseen, but failed to act.
The tragic story of Mari is the worst moment in modern history since the coup and the brutal Turkish invasion of 1974. It is yet another deafening reminder of the values and ideals that we as a society, falling into slumber, had forgotten. Responsibility, selflessness, honesty, self-denial.
The sacrifice of the 13 unfortunate braves of Marie will be remembered to remind all of us of their incomparable determination, and at the same time of the disastrous mistakes, indecision and negligence of the State, which led to this unspeakable tragedy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Commander Andreas Ioannidis, Commander of the Navy Command of the General Staff, for three decades served the Navy of the Hellenic Navy with loyalty, dedication and consummate professionalism. A loyal servant of the rights of our country, which he wished to see liberated and reunited.
As a worthy descendant of glorious Greek officers, he fought vigorously defending his values and ideals. He never succumbed to the sirens of complacency and inertia.
He believed, as his wife Maria Keliri-Ioannidis very eloquently stated two years after his death, "that the struggle, every struggle cannot be in vain. Because racing practice contains the seeds of victory, it gestates victory. It is this gestation, that is, the process up to the achievement of the goal, that will push time into the future."
He showed the same fighting spirit and determination at dawn on July 11, 2011. When he arrived at the Naval Base, although he knew that the battle with the flames was uneven, he remained there to the end in the superhuman effort to save the Base and protect his staff.
In exactly the same way, Lieutenant Cleant Cleanthius, a close associate and trusted friend of his Commander, acted in exactly the same way. He was always willing to devote even his life for his country. On July 11, 2011, as if ready for a long time, he was thunderously present and remained on the front line. Without hesitation, he fought till the end to extinguish the fire and avert the deadly danger.
Unfortunately, it seems that fate had other plans for the two lads and eleven others who turned out to help in dealing with the blaze. The force of the blast was so violent that it lured them to their deaths, while causing massive damage to the Naval Base and other critical infrastructure of the Republic.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our two heroes were well aware of their individual responsibility to society. They proved this by their self-denial and self-sacrifice in the hour of crisis.
Brave and upright, "unmoved by debt". They abandoned 'appearances', falsehood and appearances and chose with vigour 'being'. The true, the real, that which ultimately has a cost.
For only then can the concept of responsibility make sense. Only then. When the consciousness of debt is tested in the face of death.
The burden of responsibility is indeed unbearable and it is very painful to think that what has happened is due to criminal negligence and the inability of institutions to function properly. Those institutions which they served faithfully to the end.
Andreas Ioannidis, Kleanthis Kleanthous and the other eleven heroic martyrs of Mari did not confine themselves only to the performance of their duty to their country and our people.
By their unsurpassed sacrifice they awakened the sleeping state and society. They shook our consciences, redefined our forgotten ideals and values. With their heroic deaths they gave new meaning to the word responsibility.
The memory of the catastrophic explosion of 11 July 2011 will remain a constant and unrelenting reminder to the state and to each of us individually. Lest we forget. So that we do not make the same fatal omissions and repeat the same disastrous mistakes. It will be an everlasting symbol of self-awareness and accountability for past mistakes and future challenges.
Ladies and gentlemen,
To the families of the heroes we commemorate today, we express once again our sincere apologies, but also our immense gratitude and utmost respect for the sacrifice of their own people.
The self-denial they showed in their last moments highlights the height of their courage. Like a promising tailwind, it offers a breath of optimism and hope, encouraging and motivating us all to rise to the occasion.
Their generosity, like a shining sun, reminds us in the clearest way of the concept of debt to the homeland, and teaches us solidarity and service to our fellow man.
Eternal will be their memory and the glory that will accompany them. Immortals.
(NZ/GS)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs to PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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