AHEPA:Thank You, Veterans!

 

Thank You, Veterans! Friday, November 11, 2022

Today is Veterans Day 2022! The Order of AHEPA is grateful to our veterans who have served to protect our freedom and to keep peace. We ask the community, including all of our chapters, to take a moment to observe this very special day. It is a day to express appreciation and gratitude to all those individuals who served in the United States Armed Forces to keep our nation safe and free. This Veterans Day also marks the 104th anniversary of the Armistice of World War I. Do you know about the courageous story of 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 (read Dilboy's Medal of Honor citation). 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.

Read more about Dilboy's story, which included fighting in the First and Second Balkan Wars, how the Turks desecrated his grave prompting an outraged President Harding to send a warship to recover Dilboy's remains, to his final burial at Arlington National Cemetery

AHEPA is comprised of many members who served in our Armed Forces. The Order offers its profound and sincere thanks to them for their service to our country. AHEPA's Veterans Committee, chaired by retired U.S. Army Colonel Nicholas P. Vamvakias, is committed to helping AHEPA chapters recognize veterans and active-duty service members. Please visit ahepaveterans.org to register veterans from your community and to order the AHEPA Medal for Military Service. The committee also encourages chapters to submit photographs from events honoring veterans, and for veterans to submit video clips of their experiences in the service. Send them to webmaster@ahepaveterans.org.

Moreover, 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. To date, AHEPA is on the cusp of raising $1 million to sponsor nearly 100 service dogs! We encourage you to support this worthy program which provides service dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), number of veterans with PTSD varies by service era (Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF), Gulf War, Vietnam War)   Finally, to our active duty military personnel, or to those serving in harm's way, AHEPA salutes you! Fraternally, Jimmy Kokotas Supreme President

NATO update

11 November 2022 Update Secretary General Stoltenberg praises U.K. for support to Ukraine, key role in NATO NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on 9 November 2022 thanked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for the United Kingdom’s key contributions to NATO and its strong support to Ukraine. READ MORE Secretary General Stoltenberg hails Italy’s key role in NATO On 10 November 2022, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the newly elected Italian Prime Minister, Ms. Giorgia Meloni, in Rome. READ MORE NATO Secretary General announces dates for 2023 Vilnius Summit I am pleased to announce that the next meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government will take place in Vilnius on 11-12 July 2023. The meeting in Vilnius will be an opportunity for Allied leaders to agree further steps to strengthen our deterrence and defence and review significant increases in defence spending, as well as to continue our support for Ukraine. READ MORE NATO Secretary General warns of growing cyber threat NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke on 10 November at NATO’s 2022 Cyber Defence Pledge conference in Rome. READ MORE NATO Secretary General at COP27 virtual event Russia’s weaponisation of food and energy as part of its illegal war in Ukraine underlines the need to increase resilience, diversify energy supplies and sources, and accelerate the transition to cleaner, greener economies, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on 8 November 2022. READ MORE NATO Environmental Protection Working Group celebrates its 25th meeting From 9 to 11 November 2022, the NATO Environmental Protection Working Group (EPWG) held its plenary meeting at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels.  READ MORE NATO Deputy Secretary General: working together on new technologies for a more peaceful future Today’s new technologies are changing the ways wars are waged and won, and we all have a role to play in ensuring our security in a more dangerous and competitive world. READ MORE Partners discuss strengthened cooperation in light of new Strategic Concept On 9 November 2022, representatives from over 30 partner nations attended informal workshops at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, to discuss areas of common interest, including crisis prevention and management, cooperative security, counter-terrorism and human security. READ MORE NATO develops technology to help catch terrorists What if we could protect public spaces – airports, train stations and other transit hubs – without imposing burdensome restrictions? WATCH VIDEO THIS WEEK IN PICTURES NATO HQ, Blvd Leopold III 1110 Brussels, Belgium

NATO Secretary General visits Italy Today, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the newly elected Italian Prime Minister, Ms. Giorgia Meloni, in Rome. The Secretary General welcomed Prime Minister Meloni’s “strong, personal commitment to NATO, to our transatlantic Alliance between North America and Europe” and said that ''it is important that we work closely together, especially at this crucial moment for our security.''

NATO develops technology to help catch terrorists What if we could protect public spaces – airports, train stations and other transit hubs – without imposing burdensome restrictions? Scientists from NATO and partner countries have worked together to find a new way of detecting terrorists in crowded places, remotely and in real time, without disrupting the flow of pedestrians. The DEXTER (Detection of EXplosives and firearms to counter TERrorism) Programme, as it’s known, is a flagship initiative of the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme. Click here to download the video and here for the b-roll.

COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION update

 

Press material Friday 11 November 2022

● Council of the EU   11/11/2022 01:21 | Press release | ‘Fit for 55’: provisional agreement sets ambitious carbon removal targets in the land use land use change and forestry sector   The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement on strengthening the contribution of the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector to the EU’s increased overall climate ambition for 2030. Pending formal adoption, the Council and Parliament set an overall EU-level objective of 310 Mt CO2 equivalent of net removals in the LULUCF sector in 2030. The LULUCF sector covers the use of soils, trees, plants, biomass and timber and is responsible for both emitting and absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. The objective is to progressively increase absorptions and reduce emissions so that the EU-wide objective is reached.