American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association Contact: AHEPA Headquarters Phone: 202.232.6300  Email: ahepa@ahepa.org

AHEPA Observes Veterans Day

The Order of AHEPA offers its profound and sincere thank you to our Veterans today. To those who’ve served, to those who've put their lives on the line and to those who've made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms we enjoy every day. On this day we ask our AHEPA communities to take a moment to honor, appreciate and remember the heroes who’ve served in the United States Armed Forces. Boasting a significant number of members who’ve served in our Armed Forces, the AHEPA Veterans Affairs Committee, chaired by retired U.S. Army Colonel Nicholas P. Vamvakias, is committed to helping AHEPA chapters recognize veterans and active-duty service members. Visit ahepaveterans.org to register veterans from your community and to order the AHEPA Medal for Military Service.  Additionally, through the AHEPA Service Dogs for Warriors program, AHEPA continues to raise awareness about the consequences of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and the extraordinary efforts to improve the quality of life of veterans made possible through service dogs. We encourage you to support this worthy program which provides service dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD.  George Dilboy This Veterans Day additionally marks the 108th anniversary of the Armistice of World War I. On this occasion we remember U.S. Army Private First Class George Dilboy, the first Greek American to receive the Medal of Honor. Dilboy was mortally wounded in battle at Belleau, France, during World War I, July 18, 1918. General John J. Pershing, commander-in-chief of the American Expeditionary Force, who would be promoted to General of the Armies in 1919, called Dilboy one of the "ten great heroes" of the war.

Christos H. Karaberis

George Dilboy is not the only Greek American to receive the Medal of Honor though. Joining him in this incredible prestige is Sergeant First Class Christos H. Karaberis.

Although often overlooked among the list of Greek American heroes after changing his name to Chris Carr, Brother Peter J. Vegados, Commander of American Legion George K. Menichios Post 324, seeks to once again cement Karaberis' legacy within the hearts and minds of the Greek American community. Sharing with AHEPA HQ an invitation letter for a banquet honoring Karaberis in December 1945, Vergados details his story.

Christos Karaberis was born on April 6, 1914, in Manchester, New Hampshire, the son of Arthur and Melpomene Karaberis. He entered the U.S. army on October 21, 1942 at the age of 28 serving in Company L, 337th Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division. It was here that Karaberis displayed the heroism which earned him the Medal of Honor while in action near Guignola, Italy. He would go on to become severely wounded when a mortar round landed near him, however, he would persist and eventually reach the rank of Sergeant First Class. He would even go on to serve in the Korean War before retiring from the Army. President Harry Truman presented the Medal of Honor to Karaberis on October 12, 1945 for extraordinary heroism while serving in the United States Army in Italy on October 1 and 2, 1944. He died on September 16, 1970, at the age of 56 and is buried at Los Angeles National Cemetery. Being a first-generation U.S. citizen, Christos is survived by his daughter, Christine Miller. He has six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Nick Gavalas

We also take time to honor another fallen soldier who AHEPA was honored to lay to rest this fall, Nick Gavalas - a 20-year-old Son of Pericles who gave his life during WW2. He joined the Army in 1943, headed to Fort McClellan and soon found himself serving as a gunner in the 449th bomb group. Gavalas was returning from a mission to Udine, Italy when he was shot down into the Adriatic Sea. Of the six soldiers on board, only one survived.

Decades went by. The families of the five deceased patriots thought their loved ones were gone forever, but in 2010, the Defense POW/MIA accounting agency began searching for the bodies of the five deceased airmen. The Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies narrowed the location of the Airmen to 15 feet under a duck pond in Italy. DNA work revealed the soldiers' identities and Gavalas’ niece Georgette Kennedy was first to receive word. Gavalas was accounted for on June 10, 2026, and 82 years after his death, he returned home to Birmingham, Alabama where his family laid him to rest. SOP Supreme President George Kalyvas, AHEPA Past Supreme President Ike Gulas and Supreme Governor Bill Paul all attended the proceedings, paying respects to our fallen brother as he was posthumously reunited with his family after all these years. “Our story is a great reminder that even decades later, our military never forgets a comrade,” said Georgette. Her voice was soft and filled with joy. Thankful, grateful and blessed.

To our active duty military personnel, our Veterans or to any of those serving in harm's way, to secure a better, safer and more prosperous future, AHEPA salutes you! Happy Veterans Day. Fraternally,

E. Chris Kaitson Supreme President

Founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, on the principles that undergirded its fight for civil rights and against discrimination, bigotry, and hatred felt at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, AHEPA is the largest and oldest grassroots service association of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes with more than 400 chapters across the United States, Canada, and Europe.  AHEPA's mission is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence through community service and volunteerism.  For more information, please visit www.ahepa.org.

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