Greek American Activist and Greek Soldier Ioannis Fidanakis
Xanthi, Greece-- Our very own Ioannis Fidanakis was written about in two Greek American community newspapers, The Greek Star of December 16, 2010 and the Hellenic Voice of December 15, 2010. Both newspapers cite Fidanakis' activism and his role in the activist movements Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA) and Hellenic League of America HLA. The transcribed stories follow below, and directly above (see link above) are the photo images of the published articles.
Greek Star article. December 16, 2010
Ioannis (John) Fidanakis: Demonstrating love of Greece through military service
Harriette Condes-Zervakis
HCondesZervakis@aol.com
Xanthi , Greece - Twenty seven year old American-born Ioannis (John) Fidanakis is currently voluntarily serving in the infantry of the Hellenic Army. How common is that?
When I spoke to an official of the Press Office of the Embassy of Greece, he stated that was the first time he had ever heard of anyone volunteering for the Greek army. He referred me to the Consular office at the Embassy. The next official told me, coincidentally, he himself was named after a young man who had volunteered for the Greek Army and had died at the age of 18 defending Greece during 1941. The third official was one who dealt with all matters related to the Hellenic military. She told me she had been at the Embassy for four years and had never heard of any Greek American volunteers.
“Volunteers for the Greek Army are only accepted during a time of war,” she continued.
“To volunteer, you must first obtain Greek citizenship.”
Fidanakis demonstrated a great deal of patience as he overcame many obstacles during a
three year period before obtaining Greek citizenship. His status is now that of a dual national. His service in the Greek army will not have a negative impact on his American citizenship.
What motivated this young man to set such a rare and daunting goal as a teenager and to see it through?
John Fidanakis was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, the second son of Paschalis and JoAnn Fidanakis. The Greek ancestry of the family can be traced to the village of Sofiko ,Evros in Thraki. Inhabitants there in turn trace their roots to two villages, Lili and Kousti, that were originally located in Anatoliki Thraki. As part of the population exchange which was associated with the expulsion and genocide of Greek Christians, the families of Lili and Kousti were forced to migrate to Western Thraki .
Born and raised in the United States to a father from Greece and a mother of Dutch, Italian, Swedish, and English ancestry, what does John credit with giving him a strong sense of Hellenic identity so that he is now a soldier of the Hellenic army who prefers to be called Ioannis? “As a child, my parents did their best to teach me about my roots,” states Ioannis. “As a family, we frequently took trips to Greece during the summer to visit relatives. It was because of these trips that I developed close friendships with children from my village that I cherish till this very day.”
Ioannis credits two additional people with influencing his identity. After being picked on in school, Ioannis listened one day to a speech from his older brother, who exhorted him to be proud of who he was and to stick up for himself.
He was also greatly affected by his Greek language tutor, Mrs. Helen Anastasia. In addition to the language lessons, Mrs. Anastasia imparted knowledge about modern Greek history. As he listened to stories about Theodoros Kolokotronis, Athanasios Diakos, and Markos Botsaris, a flame seemed to be lit within Ioannis. “She taught me there was more to being Greek than just our ancient accomplishments,” commented Ioannis.
After being introduced to modern Greek history, Ioannis began to do his own research. He wanted to come to an understanding of his roots and that led him to retrieve information about the 20th Century genocide of the Greek Christians. “It was when I came across the Hellenic genocide that I truly had an awakening and began to develop a strong and passionate Hellenic identity. As my knowledge of our genocide and other national issues grew, so did my …sense of belonging,” said Ioannis.
Ioannis became active in the Pan-Thracian Union of America “Orpheus” serving as its youngest president from November, 2007 until November, 2009. During his tenure as president, he established and organized the annual Greek genocide commemoration that was held outside of the United Nations.
Ioannis was also active in the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, the Hellenic League of America, and the Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA). But all this was left behind for military service in Greece .
Ioannis’ decision received a mixed response from his family and friends. Though his parents were supportive, some of his uncles, cousins, and friends tried to talk him out of serving. Once in Greece , Ioannis spent time in Thessaloniki and in his ancestral village. In the village, he sensed that he was the “pride of the elderly,” while those his age teased him and expressed disbelief that he would volunteer for military service.
What does Ioannis like best about being in Greece ? “Most people have made me feel very welcomed here and are very intrigued by me,” he stated.
“What I like best about being in Greece is the overwhelming feeling I get being here. It is like my soul is at peace. What I miss most about the United States are just the people, my parents and friends.”
When questioned as to whether he would consider living in Greece , Ioannis answered, “I understand how difficult it would be, but I also know how happy and lucky I’d feel living in Greece . However, the issue of whether or not I’d move here really depends on one thing: Would I be more useful in Greece or in the United States for our national issues?”
Following this commitment, Ioannis will doubtless have many anecdotes to tell. He relates that on the day he received the paperwork confirming that he would be able to serve in the Greek Army, he was sitting with another young man who was also waiting to meet with the military attaché at the Greek consulate office. Ioannis asked him his reason for being there. The young man answered that he wanted to go to Greece on vacation and had to fill out the necessary papers to make sure that he would not have to serve in the army. He then asked if Ioannis was there for the same reason. “I told him no, that I had come to get my papers so I could serve. It’s when I saw the look of confusion on his face that I realized that there were two kinds of Greeks. Those who viewed Greece as a vacation destination, who only cared about partying and chasing girls, going to ‘Greek Nights’ at the clubs…and those like me.”
Ioannis has openly asked, why are there no youth in our organizations and why does our country, the United States, side against Greece on issues such as Cyprus and FYROM?
These are common questions, posed by an uncommon and idealistic young Hellene.
Hellenic Voice Article. December 15, 2010
N.J. Man serving in Greek Army
American-born Ioannis 'John' Fidanakis , 20, has experienced such a strong connection to his Greek roots that he has joined the Hellenic Army. In order to serve, he had to obtain Greek citizenship, a process that took three years. The Greek Embassy in Washington says volunteering for the Greek Army is very uncommon, and it had never heard of any Greek American volunteers until Fidanakis.
Fidanakis was born in Glen Ridge, N.J., the second son of Paschalis and JoAnn Fidanakis. His father’s family is originally from the village of Sofiko, Evros in Thraki. The many trips to visit family in Greece and his Greek language tutor, Helen Anastasia, heavily influenced him in his decision to join the Greek Army.
He is also the youngest person to serve as president in the Pan-Thracian Union of America ‘Orpheus’ and organized the annual Greek genocide commemoration held outside the United Nations in New York.
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Hellenic League of America, HLA
The Hellenic League of America (HLA) is a cooperative and collective effort by Hellenes, Phil-Hellenes and Hellenic enthusiasts who come together for the Hellenic Cause. A register 501c nonprofit organization the Hellenic League of America, HLA works to spread awareness on Hellenic National Issues, as well as our ethnic traditions and culture. Founded in 2008 the HLA has been involved in organizing lectures, protests, rallies and commemoration across the tri-state area.
The Hellenic League of America, HLA’s name was inspired by the many different ancient confederations of Hellenic City-states which banded together in ‘leagues’. Such famous Hellenic Leagues were the Ionian League, the Italiote League, the Arcadian League, the Achaean League, the Peloponnesian League, the Chalkidian League, the Boeotian League, the Cretan League and the Delian League. However, our main inspiration is found in the League of Corinth, commonly referred to as the Hellenic League. Originally created under Philip II of Macedon, the Hellenic League was led by Megas Alexandros in his great campaign against the Persian Empire. It is in this spirit of brotherhood and unity that the HLA takes its name.
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